


Secrets and Desires

by IcyRoads



Category: Tiger and Bunny
Genre: Action, Blackmail, Comedy, Drama, F/M, Heroes, M/M, Mystery, Romance, Romantic Comedy, next abilities, secret romance, super powers, surprise love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2018-06-08 23:19:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 62,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6878944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyRoads/pseuds/IcyRoads
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Our heroes, Tiger and Bunny, are finally getting back to normal following the chaos of the Justice Day fiasco and the exit of Golden Ryan. Now Bunny seems to have enough time to find a girlfriend. Wild Tiger wants to be happy for him, but just doesn't trust this new woman in Bunny's life. Should he share his concerns or keep them a secret......after all, he doesn't want to be the one to come between Bunny and his desires.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pain of a Lonely Heart

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't resist drawing a cover for the story as if it were a novel: http://icyroads.deviantart.com/art/Secrets-and-Desires-Chapter-one-593779365?ga_submit_new=10%253A1456727320

"Hello, everyone, and welcome. We are joining one of our most beloved heroes, Barnaby Brooks, Jr. He took HeroTv and the First Leagues by storm and now he is here to talk to us in person about, you guessed it, him and his new girlfriend, Sarah!" the man with rust-colored hair said clearly and loudly. He throws his hand to the side at a tall, handsome man with blonde, wavy hair in a magnificent red suit. The woman next to him was not much shorter and was a real stunner, with long, wavy, blonde hair and ocean-blue eyes. As Barnaby does his trademark salute and the fans scream with ecstasy, Barnaby and Sarah sit down to chat with the talk show host.

"Wow, they're a cute couple, aren't they?" said the man with reddish-brown hair in a cowboy hat, staring at the television screen. The man next to him let out a loud sigh and said, "You think so, Antonio?" "Kotetsu?" Antonio said, looking at him. Kotetsu, a man that is 5'11" and very tan, with dark brown hair, looks into his drink with deep sorrow and lonely, amber eyes. "I mean, I was always telling him to get a girlfriend, but, now that he has.... I don't know, things are different. Maybe I just got used to him always being there, and now that he's not, I'm just lonely." Antonio, still looking at him, said, "Then maybe you should try looking for a girlfriend yourself?" "Oh, you know I'm not going to do that. Tomoe was the only one for me." said Kotetsu. Antonio lets out an aggravated sigh and just looks away. "Well, this is for the best. That guy was nothing but trouble anyway." "What!?" says Kotetsu. "Not this again!" Kotetsu turns his head suddenly in agitation. "You know it wasn't his fault about what happened." Antonio replies, "Yeah, yeah, I know, Kotetsu! But who's the one that gets in trouble and who's the one that walks off scot-free?" Kotetsu says, "Rrr, really, can't you just drop this? I mean, it's the past, Antonio." Antonio, agitated, says, "I'm just saying—" "AND I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!!!", yells Kotetsu. Antonio, in shock from being cut off by the cat-bearded man, just stares. The silence engulfs them and the normal bar noise camouflages the silence between them.

"This was a mistake. I'm going home," mutters Kotetsu. Antonio says, "Kotetsu, wait, I'm sorry. Let's talk." "No, I'm done talking. Good night, Antonio." says Kotetsu tiredly. Antonio says, "But, I'm just—" Kotetsu replies, "For the last time, I know what you're going to say and I don't want to hear it!" Antonio stops trying to keep Kotetsu at the bar and instead wishes him a goodnight, "Fine then, you win. See you tomorrow at work." Kotetsu just waves his hand to let him know that he did hear him, but he doesn't turn around. He just keeps walking and gets into a taxi cab home. As he walks into his messy living room and lies face-down on his black couch on a soft pillow, he looks up a little bit to the right. He sees the pictures of his late wife, Tomoe, and his little girl, Kaede, whom he so much wants to visit. Kaede lives with his Mother at his home town, Oriental Town, which makes it very difficult to see her. While looking longingly at the pictures, he slowly drifts off to sleep.

The next morning he woke up and got ready for work. He so needed to get into better spirits so he made himself some fried rice, which helped a little. "Oh man, I need to get myself together. I mean, this is not how a hero should act...especially the future King of Heroes. Well, that's if everything goes right, at least. What am I saying? Of course it will go well, Bunny's helping me. That's right, I need to tell him I saw him on TV last night," he thinks, looking out the window of his car towards the exit of the parking garage. While chuckling to himself, he gets out of his car and makes his way to Bunny. Each step he takes gives him determination and energy. It seems to make him feel better and propel him forward. Before he realizes it, his feet are carrying him away and he is running through HeroTV looking for Barnaby. As the quick steps lead him, he gets more excited and happy to be at work. 

"Sorry. Excuse me. Pardon me." Kotetsu says as he makes his way through the hallway full of people. Swerving, ducking and avoiding oncoming people and objects, he finds himself turning a corner, seeing Barnaby who was standing there looking at his phone deep in thought. Kotetsu starts to walk up to him, then stops, losing the happy energy and smile he had, and hiding himself behind the wall he just came from. Looking from behind it, he sees a woman walk up to Barnaby, move his phone down, then kiss him. Kotetsu just watches the interaction between the two. He could not hear what they were saying, but Barnaby looks aggravated. It must be because she's in a restricted area that only Heroes and certain people are allowed, thinks Kotetsu. For some reason, he just didn't get why, but Kotetsu didn't like Sarah at all. Something about her just didn't sit right with him. He's never really talked to her, let alone get to know her, but he really didn't want to. While watching, he looks down and that lonely feeling that he's been having lately consumed him. With his back flat against the wall, he tensed his body from his head to his toes. "What am I doing hiding? I should go say hi, but I really don't want to," he thinks. Suddenly Kotetsu looked up and realized that Sarah was gone. He wondered where she had gone, but he didn't dwell on it, starting again to walk towards Barnaby. He made his way there to see that his partner was mad...very mad. 

"Hey Bunny," Kotetsu said, trying not to let him in on the fact that something was bothering him. "Kotetsu!?" said Barnaby, a 6'0" beautiful, blonde-haired man with fair skin and emerald green eyes which were wide in shock. Barnaby's demeanor changed suddenly and a big smile appeared on his face. "What are you doing here? You should be getting ready for your morning interviews," he said. "Yeah, I know, but I was coming to tell you that I saw you on TV last night," Kotetsu says, while scratching the back of his head. For some reason, talking to Barnaby started to make him happy again. "Oh, did you? I thought you went drinking with Rock Bison?" Barnaby said, putting up his phone and giving all his attention to Kotetsu. "I was, but the bar television was showing your interview," said Kotetsu, moving slightly forward with one hand on his hip and the other up in the air. Barnaby laughed at the animated way Kotetsu talked. It was so nice to see, but Barnaby could tell that something was bothering Kotetsu and whatever it was had been troubling his usually easy-going partner for a while. Reaching out and putting his soft fingertips on the side of Kotetsu's face and moving his thumb against his cheek, Barnaby asked, "Are you ok? There's been something wrong, hasn't it? Is there something you're not telling me?" Kotetsu, shocked, stopped and looked up at Barnaby's deep gem-like eyes which stared back at his bright amber ones with seriousness and worry. Kotetsu felt his cheeks heat up. Staring at the man in front of him, his heartbeat quickened a bit. "S-s-something wrong? No, not at all," he said, looking away but not moving. In fact, he liked this kind of affection from Barnaby. "Is that so, Kotetsu?" "Yeah," muttered the dark haired man. Kotetsu's heart skipped a beat at the realization that Barnaby had moved a lot closer than before. "B-B-Bunny?!" whispered Kotetsu. "You're lying," said the beautiful blonde-haired man. "No, I'm not," insists Kotetsu. "You're a very bad liar," smiled Barnaby, "come now....just tell me what's going on. You know I'm going to get it out of you, anyway." While saying that, he moved his other hand on the other side of Kotetsu's face. Their foreheads were touching and Barnaby's soft smile made Kotetsu's heart flutter. "Well, you see....." said Kotetsu in a soft voice. "Yes?" asked Barnaby, in a low seductive voice that had the dark haired man enthralled with his gaze. He could have sworn there was desire in the amber orbs that stared back at him, which had the blonde-haired man moving closer. 

Right as Kotetsu was about to tell Barnaby everything he had been thinking, their Hero bracelets started ringing. "What!?!" they said in shock. Barnaby pulled away gently and slid his hands down off Kotetsu's face to answer his red bracelet, missing the disappointed look on his partner's face. "Yes?" "Bonjour Heroes! There is something going on at the bridge that leads out of town and we need you all to go there now," said a woman with light brown hair and dark green eyes, in a bright demanding tone. "Yeah?" said Kotetsu, looking over Barnaby's shoulder. "What's going on?" Barnaby says while looking at Kotetsu and back towards his bracelet. The woman says, "Not really sure, the police are on site, but we lost contact with them and can't get the signal back." "I see, we're on it, Ms. Agnes," Barnaby answered. "Good," Ms. Agnes says with a smile, then ended the call. "Well, let's go. Right, Wild Tiger?" "Right, Bunny." "Maybe this time you'll get King of Heroes," Barnaby says, winking at Kotetsu. "Yeah, maybe," he shyly says to Bunny. Barnaby's smile seems to grow bigger as he turns around and walks off. Kotetsu was left standing there, wondering what just happened. He thinks, "It's been some time since he's done something like that. The last time he—" Kotetsu suddenly remembers the time on his black couch when Barnaby was lying down while Kotetsu sat next to him. "You are my perfect ray of light," Barnaby said as he ran his fingers through Kotetsu's thick brown hair. Abruptly pulled out of his thoughts, he says, "Ok then, enough about that. I need to get going." Kotetsu was still dwelling on it a little bit as he made his way to get ready.

"OK, Heroes, you ready for this?!" Ms. Agnes asked. "Yes," said Barnaby and Kotetsu. "Yeah, we are. Now, don't go hogging all the arrests, you two," says Blue Rose over the comm, in a sarcastic way. "Hehe, you hear that, Honey? Don't go keeping it all to yourselves," Fire Emblem sassily exclaims over the comm. Kotetsu laughs. "Well, then don't be late," he says, while looking at Barnaby, who is smiling and keeping his eyes on the road. "Mr. Wild is right. Lets see who gets there first," Sky High happily says over the comm. "Then you better keep up with me," Dragon Kid playfully says over the comm. "Mmmh," Origami Cyclone nervously says over the comm. "Last one there is a rotten egg," Rock Bison states over the comm. "Ha, very funny coming from the guy that gets there late," teased Blue Rose. "Hey!" Rock Bison says. Everyone laughs. "Oh, come now, Blue Rose, that's not very nice. It's not like he can help that he is so slow," snickers Kotetsu. "Oooh, you're asking for it, Wild Tiger," jokes Rock Bison. "Hahaha, then show me what you got," taunts Kotetsu. "You know I will," Rock Bison boldly says. "We will see about that," Kotetsu laughs. "Well then, looks like everyone's ready," smiled Ms. Agnes. "Yeah!!!!" the Heroes exclaim. Kotetsu, still looking at Barnaby, smiles bigger than he was before. The troubles that seemed to have been bothering him faded away. 

"Well, lookie here at our first two Heroes that have arrived!" screams the man with the rust-colored hair. "Looks like Wild Tiger is taking lead so we will give him the first arrival points of 25 and Barnaby claims the second arrival points of 5. We're not really sure what's going on, but our Heroes will see."

Kotetsu stands there in shock, looking at all the crushed and upturned cars strewn everywhere. He starts to move forward, but someone stops him by grabbing his arm and a voice rings out from behind him. "Wait, let's go looking around before we go rushing in—" Barnaby says with his mask down. "But, I already did!!" Kotetsu says in an exasperated tone. "I know you did, but more than just a quick scan, please," Barnaby urges Kotetsu. "Fine...." Kotetsu reluctantly says. As they scan the area, Kotetsu gets more and more impatient as time goes on. He knows that Barnaby is right about being careful, but he wants to go see if anyone needs his help. "There, I'm finished scanning the area. Something seems to be jamming my helmet sensors so I can't see anything," Barnaby says, sensing his partner's impatience. "Then lets go looking around—" Kotetsu says, as he turns around and heads toward the crushed cars, "—forget the stupid sensors." 

"Ehh Kote.... tsu.... Ok, then." Barnaby says, a little agitated and following Kotetsu. Out of the corner of his eye, Barnaby sees a car start moving. Before he can really register what's going on, the car is being picked up by something or someone. It seems to effortlessly fly through the air toward Kotetsu. "Wild Tiger!?!" he screams as loud as he can to get Kotetsu's attention and Kotetsu starts to slowly turn around to look at him, but it doesn't matter. It's too late. The car hits Kotetsu and knocks him on his back. Barnaby's heart sinks to his feet as he reaches out for his partner. There's nothing he could have done but watch, since they were too far apart. He sits there stunned for a minute, but it feels like hours. Kotetsu's helmet came off at some point because he can see it spinning on the ground between them. "OH MY!.... TIGER?!" Barnaby yells at the top of his lungs and suddenly, forgetting everything, he's running toward Wild Tiger as fast as possible. Before he knows it, something knocks him off his feet and the sky is all he can see. When his back collides with the ground, the breath is knocked out of him, but in his disoriented state, he tries to look for Kotetsu. Since he can't seem to get up, he rolls over onto his stomach and finally spots Kotetsu. Barnaby's helmet keeps glitching out, making it hard to get a clear view of his partner, but he can see that Kotetsu has blood on his face. Barnaby can't tell where it's coming from, but it's not important. He just has to get over there to make sure Kotetsu is alive. He tries so hard to get up, but he can't, so he does the only thing he can and reaches out to Kotetsu. As his fingers extended toward his partner, the movement seems to be too much and Barnaby watches as everything goes black. "Kotetsuuu.....", he says as he loses consciousness.

"WILD, BROOKS, ARE YOU THERE?! ANYONE, HELLO?!!?!!" a loud female voice rang through the air. It was a good thing, too, otherwise Kotetsu wouldn't have heard her with his helmet knocked off. Her voice woke him up. "Huh?? Ms. Agnes?" he says in a disoriented state while trying to open his eyes. The bright light was blinding him and it took a while for his eyes to adjust. "Bunny? Bunny?! Where are you?!" It was hard to get the words out. Once his eyes adjusted, he met the gaze of another person who was squatting upon the car that had him pinned. The man's creepy grin and evil giggle sent chills up his spine. Kotetsu was wondering how he missed the unnerving and unsettling giggle that was coming from the man. It wasn't too loud, but it wasn't exactly quiet, either. As the squatter's smile grew bigger and bigger, the twisted features of his face got more frightening. Kotetsu could only stare with horror at the man with the deep wrinkles and disturbing giggle. The man's eyes were wide open and empty-looking, the dull gray color seemed to go right through Kotetsu's bright amber ones. Stringy, gray hair that looked like wiry, lifeless strands framing his face, just added to the creep factor. Kotetsu could feel his heart racing and mind reeling, the tingling, pounding sensation running through his entire nervous system had him completely incapacitated. His mouth suddenly went dry and all he could taste was copper. The realization hit him that he had been bleeding for some time, but he had no idea for how long. The adrenaline running through his system made him feel numb, making it impossible to figure out where he was wounded or to what extent. "Bunny! Bunny!" he tried to call, but no sound was coming out of his mouth. The fear was consuming him. For some reason, the situation made him feel as if the man was completely unbalanced. He wanted to reason with the man, but Kotetsu felt like it didn't matter if he could speak or if the man could, either. Suddenly, Kotetsu realized that the man had stop giggling to just repeat what Kotetsu had said earlier— "Ms. Agnes. Bunny. Ms. Agnes. Bunny." —in a somewhat amused tone. Kotetsu's eyes went wide in horrifying shock as he watched the man. It felt like every breath he took was not enough for his body. He was really starting to panic now. As if the man knew what Kotetsu was feeling, he started to giggle again. The truth was, Kotetsu was not outwardly showing his feelings. The fact he was scared shitless wasn't showing on his face, but Kotetsu felt that the guy knew he was panicking. "WHAT?! What is so funny?!" he thinks, watching the man closely as he lifts his hand and points with a bony finger. "What?.." Kotetsu thinks. He was torn. He didn't want to look away from the man, but at the same time he couldn't bear not to look. Deciding to risk it, he looked in the direction the man was pointing. Turning his head, he saw what the bony finger was trying to show him. Horror filled his heart at the sight of Barnaby lying on his stomach with his arm outstretched in Kotetsu's direction. It was obvious that Barnaby had used the last of his strength trying to reach him, but now he isn't moving at all. Kotetsu couldn't tell if Barnaby was injured because he was wearing his full suit, including his helmet. Before he could even try to scream, he realized what the man had been saying, "Bunny. That's Bunny. Bunny's not moving anymore, is he?" Kotetsu started slowly turning his head back to the man, who was once giggling, but is now full out laughing. "Laughing... He's laughing at Bunny's misery... That fucking bastard..." Kotetsu thinks as he grits his teeth in pure anger. The fear he once had is melting away into nothing but anger now. All he could think was, "I'm going to get this guy if it's the last thing I do." The fury in his eyes burned like fire, the once fear-filled amber eyes now were piercing like spears and fierce as a tiger. "OK. Now you're asking for it." Kotetsu says. Finally, he had found his voice. The anger filled him and gave him strength. Without even using his powers, he starts to push the car off. Freed from what had held him down, he looked around for the man who was now missing.

"What the... Where the hell is he now...I only took my eyes off him for a second." Kotetsu thinks, twitching. Suddenly the man springs out of nowhere and tackles him. Kotetsu turns to face the man and defend himself. As he falls on his back and uses his knees to keep distance between them, he notices, out of the corner of his eye, a woman and her two children hiding behind what he assumed was once their car. Now the crushed and twisted piece of metal was only good for hiding behind. Kotetsu mustered up the strength to knock the man backwards off of him and in an instant he disappeared again. "Damn, what kind of Next is he? If I use my powers now, I would just be wasting them." Kotetsu says angrily, while looking around. "WILD, BROOKS, DAMMIT, SOMEONE ANSWER ME!!" Ms. Agnes screams at the top of her lungs. "Huh?!?! Ms. Agnes?" Kotetsu looks around and that's when he spots his helmet lying on the ground. He carefully walks over to pick it up. "Ms. Agnes? Can you hear me?" he says into the helmet, unsure. "Yes, I can. What's going on?" she asked frantically. "It's bad....Bunny's down and I don't know his status. There are people here who need help and I don't know if I can help them. I'm injured and I can't tell the extent of the wounds. I mean, I feel fine, but I could be barely standing. Not to mention that the guy that caused all this trouble is a Next. Can't you see all of this on the television?" Kotetsu states as calmly as possible as he keeps looking around for the man. "No, we can't. We lost the signal a long time ago and have been completely in the dark on everything. There's only one culprit and he's a Next, you say?" she asks, confused. "Oh, I see, but that doesn't make any sense. He's a Power-type Next... How would he be interfering with electromagnetic waves?" "So far, I only see one culprit, but maybe there's another one. I need the other Heroes. Where are they? I will try to keep this guy at bay as long as I can." Kotetsu says, still trying to keep calm even though he can't seem to find the man no matter how hard he looks. "Don't worry, they will be there soon— Wild, Wild —Hey you still there?" Ms. Agnes asks in a frantic tone. "Yeah..." He says looking at the man who was walking towards him very calmly, saying, "Blood, Blood... Blood everywhere." Kotetsu doesn't want to look at what the man was talking about, but he does and sees blood dripping out of Barnaby's helmet. "Bunny!?" Kotetsu calls out, hoping he would answer, but no answer comes from Bunny. The man starts grinding his teeth before laughing. Kotetsu looks at the creepy man who is laughing maniacally. "I see you.. I see you Kotetsu T. Kaburagi." says the man using both arms to point. "I always see you.." laughs the man really loud. Everyone watching this exchange felt chills go racing down their spines. For some reason, right as the man started to laugh, the camera had started working so everyone heard what he said to Kotetsu. "Wow, that was really fucking creepy." says Kotetsu, furious. "Blood, Blood, Blood. Blood.." creepily sings the man. "Ok, that's enough of that." Kotetsu says as he drops his helmet out of the way. "No, Don't engage him. Dammit! I said no!— HE'S NOT EVEN LISTENING TO ME!" Ms. Agnes yells, agitated. Kotetsu propels himself toward the man, throwing a mighty punch. 

His fist made contact with the ground. He had cracked and dented the ground a little bit, but the man was nowhere to be seen. "Dammit, now where did he go? This is starting to get on my nerves." Kotetsu thinks, looking angrily around. All of a sudden, something flies past his face and grazes his cheek. He feels the warm liquid dripping down his face. Kotetsu spins around to see what hit him and sees it is a piece of metal that's now sticking in the ground. "Shit....where did that come from?" He looks around to see the man up on the bridge support beam, dancing around and singing "Hahahaha, Blood, Blood, Blood... Yes more Blood." Kotetsu gets ready to block as the metal fragments come raining down. There seemed to be no end at first. He could see that these jagged pieces of metal were getting dangerously close to the young mother and her children. "Quickly, while I have him distracted, make your way to Bunny." he says as reassuringly as possible. The young mother nodded at him and then made her getaway, using her body to shield her children from whatever might come their way. "Thank you, Mr. Wild." she says in a grateful tone as she zips past him in a hurry and gets them safely to Bunny. Kotetsu nods to the family. He knows that there are more people that need his help so he starts moving forward as fast as possible while guarding his face from metal that is coming his way. "No, no, no, what is he doing?!" says Ms. Agnes, agitated.

As Kotetsu makes his way through crushed and upturned cars, he sees that there is a group of people hiding behind one car. "Hey, are you guys ok?" he asks, with a reassuring smile on his face. One of the men answered him, "Yes, we're fine." "For now, anyway." says a woman in a sarcastic and terrified tone. "Well, I'm glad to hear none of you are hurt. Listen to me...while I have his attention, you guys make your way to my partner. It's safe there, ok?" Kotetsu says. "How do you know it's safe?" says another man, trembling and shaking in a corner. "Because I know it is. Please make your way there. I can't protect you from here." Kotetsu says calmly, coaxing him to go. "Well, you can stay here and die if you want, but I'm going to where Wild said it's safe. Who's with me?" says the woman who spoke up before, angrily. Everyone but the man that argued with Kotetsu agreed with her. "I'm coming, don't leave me." the scared man says to the woman. All she did was roll her eyes at him and wave for him to come on. The man that talked to Kotetsu first says to him, "I tried to get everyone, but I don't know for sure if I did." He looked worried so Kotetsu put his mind at ease. "Don't worry, I'll save them. You did very well. Now go with the others." Wild says with a toothy grin and giving him a thumbs up. "Ok I will, thanks." the man says, feeling so much better. He nods at Kotetsu and then follows the others.

"Wow, finally we have eyes and ears on everything. It sure did take a long time. It looks like Wild Tiger is on the move and making his way to save everyone he can. He seems to be stalling until the other Heroes can get there. From what I can see, it looks like he's gotten all the civilians out of harm's way. I hope our hero, Barnaby Brooks Jr, is going to be ok?" says the orange-haired announcer.

"Mr. Barnaby?" says the young mother, holding her children close to her. "He's dead!!" screams a scared man. Panicky, uneasy murmurs start to spread through the crowd. His declaration causes all the children to start breaking down into tears. "No. No. No. Mr. Barnaby, wake up." one child cries. "Mommy, Mommy, is it true?" another child sobs. "Someone help him! Please don't let him die! Please." cries another. Suddenly a loud thump fills the air. Everyone goes quiet and turns to see the screaming man rubbing his head. "SHUT UP, YOU FREAKING MORON!! You're scaring the children." says the woman who hit the hysterical man. "You hit me....that's assault!" he says, while rubbing the top of his head. "Oh, see if I care. If you have nothing to say to help the situation, then shut the fuck up, sir." the woman answers him back in a harsh tone. Taken aback in shock, he says to her, "You can't do that.. Plus, I'm just being real, unlike all you guys." "Are you a doctor?" she's asks, glaring at him defiantly. "No..." is all he could say before she cuts him off— "Then like I said earlier. Shut. The. Fuck. Up." He looks at her in shock as he tries to talk back. She assumes a fighting stance and looks at him like, 'I dare you'. He flinches and recoils back from her. "Good, now is there anyone here who's actually a doctor?" she asks, looking around. "Yes, I am. Dr. Williams, Carl Williams." he says, as he moves towards Barnaby to check him.

As Carl removes Barnaby's helmet to get a good look at him, the people around him watch in anticipation to see what he would do or say. "Well, it looks like he is still breathing normally and his vitals look good, too. He seems to be just unconscious... but without removing his armor, I can't tell anything else, let alone the cause of why he passed out." The noise and commotion causes Barnaby to stir. "Huh?.... what's going on? Where am I?..." Barnaby says, looking around, disoriented. He sees all the people looking at him, and realizes that they are all hiding behind some uncrushed cars. He thinks, "That's right.... KOTETSU!" "Where is Wild Tiger!?" Barnaby asks, frantically scanning the crowd. "Calm down, Mr. Brooks. You need to rest. You're injured and I haven't even determined how badly, yet." says Carl. Barnaby was not listening to him and stands up, only wobbling a little bit. He steadies himself without help, and takes stock of the situation. He could tell that he had no broken bones, but that was all he could tell. "I'm fine, are you all alright?" he says, getting his composure back. "Yes, we're fine, thanks to Mr. Wild. He made sure we all got out OK." says a police officer. "Oh good, I'm so glad." Barnaby says, a little relieved, but trying not to be impatient. No one is answering his question about Kotetsu, so he is starting to get worried about him and a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach is starting to overwhelm him. The woman who had led the people to safety and shut up the hysterical man, looks at him, and as if she could read his mind says, "Mr. Wild is OK, Mr. Brooks." He looked at the young woman with violet eyes and short, vivid red hair and realized that even though she was wearing a very flattering suit, she couldn't be any older than twenty-five. Her long dress pants brushed the top of her black high-heels and she was very beautiful and serious. "Really? Thank you. What's your name, young lady?" Barnaby says, as the relief washes over him. "Alexis Trancy." she replies. "Well, Ms. Trancy, I want you to lead these people further away from here, OK?" he says. "You can just call me Alexis. I'll lead them away, but what about you?" she says. "Don't you worry about me, Ms. Alexis, I'll be fine. I'm just going to go help my partner." Barnaby looks at her with a reassuring smile. "Ok, if you say so." she agrees, although she was not so sure. "Listen, I'm just going to help Tiger hold him off until the other Heroes can get here. I promise that we will be fine." She nods to him, then gets everyone moving toward safety. As she look back for a second, she watches Barnaby's determined march back into danger to help Wild Tiger. "I hope they'll be OK." she thinks to herself. 

Meanwhile Kotetsu is trying to keep the crazy man from coming at him. There's no doubt in Kotetsu's mind that this man wants to kill him and just him. It did not escape his notice that the man let him get all the people out of harm's way. If Mr. Creepy had so desired, he could have killed everyone before Barnaby and Kotetsu even made it to the scene. Also, it seems strange that the man had called out his name and said, 'I see you, I always see you.' Had he arrested this guy before? No, that couldn't be it. Kotetsu was sure that he would remember an individual as twisted as this guy. Using the pulley system that was hidden in his armor, Wild Tiger struggled to tie the man's hands with the long neon green wire. Unfortunately, to keep this guy from getting free, Kotetsu had to be right up close and personal with Mr. Creepy. Since it took both hands to keep the crazy man from wiggling his way out, this meant Kotetsu's undefended side was being pummelled continuously with powerful kicks. "Hahahahahahahahahaha!!! Blood, Blood, Blood!!!" screams the psychotic man. "Yeah, yeah, we fucking get it. Just shut up." Kotetsu yells over him, just about at his limit. Even though his armor was designed to protect him from serious injury, the searing pain was almost unbearable, not to mention that he could feel the armor giving out. This armor was made to withstand almost anything, but even it was reaching it's limit under the constant barrage of blows from the Power-Type Next. Kotetsu knew it wouldn't be long before his armor gave out since the man was kicking the same place over and over, but it was all he could do to keep this guy from getting away. "I can't let him out of my sight again. I don't think I could chase him down. I'm getting real tired...Maybe if I use my powers now?...I don't know, is this the right time? Oh man, if Bunny was here we could finish this guy... But he's not.... Bunny, are you ok?" Kotetsu thinks. As he dwells on the fact that his partner could be really badly injured, Kotetsu's heart hurt from it, and the tears that he was fighting back were starting to well up in his eyes. The uncertainty and loneliness was what was really getting him. The physical pain in his body did not hurt or beat him down as much as the fact he might not see Barnaby again. Suddenly, pulled out of his thoughts, he felt the man's knee collide with his armor. That was it, it crumbled away from Kotetsu's body. Shock and horror filled his heart as his eyes went wide in disbelief at what had just happened. He knew it was the end for him and so did the man. Mr. Creepy started laughing and the cackling laugh could be heard from everywhere. It sent chills down Kotetsu's spine and every sense, every nerve, braced for the worst. If he kicked Kotetsu one more time, it would cave in his chest. "Oh shit, this is it for me..." Kotetsu thinks, closing his eyes, feeling the tears flooding out as he squeezes them shut. 

End of chapter one


	2. Thoughts of the past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and Kudos. without further ado here is chapter two. ^^

Alexis was leading the people to safety with the help of the police officers that were there. She suddenly stopped. "Why did you stop?" asks one of the officers. No one else has noticed that she has stopped to gape at a hero that has just arrived. 

"Oh, good, you're all safe," rings out a strong voice. "Sky High!" they all shout with relief. "Is anyone hurt? There are ambulances here," he shouts over the din. The people are happy to see him and then relieved to see that he is also prepared for them. As the officers help the people that need it, Sky High is gathering information to get up to speed. Alexis is frantically trying to get his attention, "No time for all that. Wild Tiger and Barnaby need your help!" 

Sky High turns around to look at her and says, "Everything is going to be OK. The other Heroes are on their way to help them right now and when I'm done making sure all of you are alright, I will be heading that direction as well." "Really?" says Alexis. "Yes, but I do need to know what went on here. Could you tell me?" he asks, as reassuring as possible. 

"Ok, you see, Wild Tiger saved us from being in the danger zone, and we in turn, helped move Barnaby out of the path of the metal shards that were raining down. I don't know what happened to Wild after that, but Barnaby went to help Wild Tiger as soon as he regained consciousness. I don't know how much he would be able to help since he seemed unsteady on his feet," she says. 

"I see....Thanks, but could you tell me how this began?" Sky High asked. 

"I can—," says a man...."—there was a truck that suddenly capsized over and all kinds of disarray and confusion followed. Some of the people were lucky enough to get away, but the rest of them were stuck at the mercy of that crazy man Mr. Wild is fighting......." 

"For some reason he didn't hurt any of the people, but the damage he did to all the cars and to the bridge made them all sure that he was a power-type Next," Sky High conveyed over the Comm to Ms. Agnes and the other Heroes. 

"I see. Well, you guys need to hurry. I can't get in contact with Wild or Brooks," says Ms. Agnes.

"We're almost there," says Fire Emblem. "How did they get so far ahead of us anyway?" Blue Rose asks. "Well, that's because Barnaby drives super fast and Kotetsu knows his way around Sternbild," says Rock Bison. "I heard that Barnaby and Kotetsu have been mapping out the best routes around the city," pipes in Origami Cyclone. "Yeah, I remember hearing that, too," says Dragon Kid. "Well, it doesn't really matter right now, just go help them," orders Ms. Agnes. "We are—" Blue Rose tries to say, but is cut off by Origami Cyclone, "I can see Wild Tiger... Oh no, it looks like I can't get to him in time. The crazy Next just shattered his armor!" "What!?!" everyone yells over the Comm. "That means.... No...." Ms. Agnes says as she strains to look at the monitors to see what's happening. The camera was not zoomed in enough for her to see. All Origami Cyclone could do was watch helplessly. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"This is it for me...Kaede...Bunny... I'm sorry," thinks Kotetsu, looking down and squeezing his tear-filled eyes shut as he braces for the worst. He tenses his whole body expecting the man's knee to cave in his chest at any moment. Instead, a disgruntled noise filled the air. Kotetsu then realized that the attack he was waiting for never came. 

"KOTETSU!" yells a familiar voice. 

"Bunny!?!" he thinks. Kotetsu jerks up his head and his eyes widen at the sight before him. Barnaby is holding the man's leg firmly in his grip, keeping the crazed Next from landing the final kick. "Bunny, you're OK. I'm so glad," Kotetsu says with a shocked expression that turns into relief. 

"Now, Kotetsu, power up and knock this guy out!" yells Barnaby. "Right," says Kotetsu as he releases his power. A blue aura surrounds him and a bright blue light shines from his normally amber eyes. "Nighty night," Kotetsu says as throws the punch, hitting the guy square in the jaw, knocking him clean out. 

As Barnaby sees something flying out of the man's mouth, he steps back and reaches up to catch it in midair. "Huh, a fake tooth," he thinks, "Ms. Agnes needs to see this." Kotetsu and Barnaby look at each other, then back at Mr. Creepy, then back at each other as silence fills the air. They both start to laugh in relief. 

"Oh man, I thought I was a goner for a minute there. Thank goodness you came when you did, Bunny," Kotetsu says, trying not to cry. 

"I know, my heart stopped when I saw him about to kick you. Then again, you scared the shit out of me, you know that," Barnaby lectures. 

"Look who's talking, you scared me too, laying there all lifeless-like," Kotetsu retorts. "Haha, I'm glad to see that you can still be a smart ass," Barnaby laughingly says as goes to catch the unsteady Kotetsu and helps him stand. "Of course I still can, I'm not that badly injured," Kotetsu says proudly, through his exhaustion. "Well, that's good to hear," Barnaby replies, laughing softly. They lift their heads together to see some of the Heroes coming their way.

"Kotetsu!" yells Rock Bison. "Handsome!" yells Fire Emblem, who was running with Rock Bison. "Are you two OK?" asks Fire Emblem. 

"Yeah, we're just fine. Well, a little bruised," Kotetsu corrects himself when he sees the disapproving look on Bunny's face. 

"You guys look like hell. Maybe we should help you to an ambulance?" Rock Bison asks, worried. "No we're f—" Kotetsu tries to say but Barnaby interrupts him, "—that sounds great." The two battered heroes look at each other. "Buunnnyyy...." Kotetsu says with a pouty look on his face. "Kotetsu, you need to see a doctor now," Bunny says, looking at his partner. 

"I'm fine, really.....you're worrying too much," Kotetsu says as he pokes out his lip. "I worry just enough, especially since you don't worry at all," Barnaby says, while turning his head away from Kotetsu. Everyone watching the blonde-haired man thinks he is mad at his hard-headed, dark-haired partner, and in truth he is...a little bit, but really he's trying to hide his face. He didn't want them to know he was blushing because of Kotetsu's little antics, which he finds adorable. 

"Alright, I get it. No need to get mad," Kotetsu says with a sigh. "I'm not mad," Barnaby states, still hiding his face. 

"Then why are you hiding your face, Bunny?" Kotetsu says, a little confused. "I'm not hiding my face, I'm just looking for which way to go," Barnaby tries to say bluntly. 

"O-K?" Kotetsu says, looking back at Rock Bison and Fire Emblem and seeing his puzzled look mirrored on their faces. Kotetsu was looking at them like, 'I'm not sure, ether'. 

"Never mind this, lets just get going," Bunny says gently, leading Kotetsu back the way they came. Rock Bison looks at Fire Emblem like, 'what just happened?'. Fire Emblem, returns his confused look and shrugs. They then both follow behind the two bickering men to make sure they make it to the ambulance. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After being treated and released, Barnaby makes his way back to HeroTV. "So, did you find out anything on that man and the fake tooth I gave you?" Barnaby says as he walks into Dr. Saito's lab. 

Ms. Agnes, standing there with her hands on the desk, turns her head to look at him all bandaged up. "Should you even be out of the hospital?" asks the hot-tempered Ms. Agnes. 

"Yes, Kotetsu and I were released at the same time. We were both lucky enough to escape with nothing more than a few cuts and bruises. The suits did their job well," says Barnaby. 

"I see, well, let's not forget that we had a close call. Though you two are ok, it could have been really bad." says Ms. Agnes. 

"Yeah, I know and don't worry about Kotetsu even though he was acting like it was nothing. I'm sure he's taking this serious," Barnaby says. He thinks to himself, "I know he was just trying not to worry me." 

Ms. Agnes pulls him out of his thoughts by saying, "Well, either way, we all know he's going to be just as reckless as he was before." 

"Well, yeah, but that's just Kotetsu and we all know that. That's why I'm going to be keeping my eye on him." Barnaby says to her with a look on his face like, 'no shit, Sherlock', and can you just answer my question I asked before. 

"The crazy man's name was Louie Jones," she says, glaring at him. "Really?" says Barnaby. "Yes, he was arrested by Mr. Legend so the arrest record is incomplete. We're not even sure what kind of next Louie is exactly....just that he's a power-type, other than that everything is pretty hazy. We've been working the whole day trying to piece things together. We've interviewed all his past associates, learning nothing other than the fact that almost every single one of them hates him. They either had no idea he had been arrested or was still alive. In other words, he was not well liked. On top of that, he has no history of mental health issues in his family," Ms. Agnes says. 

"But clearly he was insane." says Barnaby. 

"Yes, and that's where the tooth comes in. The material it was made from is not safe for human consumption because long-term exposure causes insanity. We weren't able to pinpoint when he had the tooth put in or why, but that's not all. There was a micro chip in the tooth, and that was why we lost communications with you and Wild," answers Ms. Agnes. 

"Really?! Is that so? You can't tell when he had the tooth put in?" Barnaby says in shock. 

"Nope," Ms. Agnes says. 

"Who ever did it really hated him." whispers Dr. Saito. 

"Huh??!! says Ms. Agnes and Barnaby in unison. 

"OH, SORRY, I FORGOT TO TURN ON MY SPEAKER!" says Dr. Saito. "Oh, ok, then......" Ms. Agnes says. "Forget I asked." mutters Barnaby. Both Ms. Agnes and Barnaby were standing there, blown away from the sudden loud noise, and trying to recover from the shock. 

"ANYWAY, WHAT I SAID WAS, WHOEVER DID THIS REALLY HATED HIM!" Dr. Saito says, not noticing their reaction.

"Is there any way it could have been done by mistake?" Ms. Agnes asks. 

"No, I see what Dr. Saito is saying....there's no way it could have been. No self-respecting dentist would use such harmful materials, especially if they want repeat customers," says Barnaby. 

"EXACTLY, EVERYONE IN THE MEDICAL PROFESSION HAS KNONW FOR AT LEAST THE LAST 10 YEARS NOT TO USE THIS PARTICULAR MATERIAL!" says Dr. Saito. 

"I see, then someone did this deliberately... but who?" Ms. Agnes says with her hand on her chin. 

"Could it have been......Maverick?" Barnaby asks quietly, looking away. 

"Hmm..... Maybe, I don't know. Why do you ask?" Ms. Agnes says looking at him with a puzzled look.

"Well, it's because of something Kotetsu said while we were being discharged from the hospital," Barnaby says resting his chin in his hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Huh, what did you say?..." Barnaby asks, looking at Kotetsu puzzled. "Well, maybe it was just me....but..." Kotetsu says, trailing off. "But what, Kotetsu?" asks Barnaby. "I mean....if that man wanted to, he could have killed everyone there....but he didn't. Yet, when we arrived, he immediately meant business.... and yet again, he didn't kill YOU.....but I'm sure, if I had been the one knocked out, he would have finished ME off. At least.....that's the impression I got from fighting him. I was easily able to get the people out of harm's way by myself. It was like he had no interest in them, and all his attention was on me. For someone as strong as him and with no remorse or restraint.... Well, I'm just saying it was way too easy for me, with only one minute of power to get every one out of the way unharmed. Plus, there's the added bonus that when he was fighting me he almost killed me. If it hadn't been for you.... Well, I really don't want to think about how close it was..." Kotetsu says with a worried look on his face. Barnaby tries to hide the pure horror he feels, "I see......that's a troubling thought, but he was obviously unstable. Maybe he just fixated on you......but just in case, I'm going to tell Ms. Agnes about all this." "Oh, yeah, don't worry about it, Bunny. I think it was just me and it being the heat of the moment." Kotetsu says, with a goofy smile that obviously was meant to put Barnaby at ease. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mmm, Wild said that, huh? Maybe since we can't pinpoint when he had the tooth put in, it could have been a long-term plan Maverick hatched to kill one of the heroes if they got too nosey about Ouroboros," Ms. Agnes says, looking at the screen. 

"Yeah, I guess he could have been a fail-safe for that..." Barnaby says, looking away and trailing off into his thoughts. 

"Well, it WOULD fit with what one of the transporting officers said. He said one of the other officers was talking about his kids being a huge Wild Tiger fan. When Wild was mentioned, the man went crazy, started attacking them, and you know the rest." Ms. Agnes says. 

"Really, then I guess he wasn't ready when Maverick was trying to get rid of Kotetsu a couple of years ago," Barnaby says, being pulled out of his thoughts. 

"Yeah, I guess so, and boy am I glad of that.....it might have worked. So I guess it's a good thing it happened now. It may have been close, but you two made it out OK," Ms. Agnes says, looking at Barnaby.

"Yeah, you have a point. I'm really glad, too... But, we definitely need to be more careful. Maverick might have more of these unknown traps just lying in wait for us." Barnaby says with such seriousness that they all go quiet. 

"Well, ether way we have this handled, Brooks. Go celebrate, I mean......you HAVE heard, right?" Ms. Agnes ask him. 

"Yes, I did. Kotetsu is in second place for King of Heroes now and I'm in third." Barnaby says, answering her. 

"Good, then, go," Ms. Agnes says to him, "I'll keep you in the loop."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Barnaby makes his way to find Kotetsu. Suddenly he hears some familiar voices, so he looks from around the corner and sees all the other heroes welcoming Kotetsu's arrival. "Hey man, you're out of the hospital," says Rock Bison. "Yeah, you know it. I'm totally good." Kotetsu tells them with a huge smile on his face. 

"Are you sure it's OK for you to be out so soon?" Blue Rose scolds him. "Yes, I'm sure. In fact, the doctor say I could. They said I was completely okay, though I'm going to be feeling it in the morning," Kotetsu says with enthusiasm, until he realized that it's not going to be fun tomorrow. He slumps over, and then with a funny look on his face says, "Oh boy, I'm really going to be regretting it tomorrow." Then he let's out a comical loud sigh. Everyone couldn't help but to laugh. His funny demeanor was just too hilarious. 

"Oh Wild honey, you're so cute," Fire Emblem says through a giggle. "Yeah, man. Really, your funny expressions make me laugh so hard that my sides hurt," says Dragon Kid. "Well, that's the point. I'm happy to make you guys laugh," Kotetsu says with a big smile, laughing with the others. 

Barnaby smiles and starts to walk up to talk to them, but he stops to listen. "Where is that partner of yours?" asks Blue Rose in a sarcastic tone. "Bunny? Oh, he's gone to talk to Ms. Agnes about something. Why?" Kotetsu says, a little tense. "Well, why isn't he here congratulating you for being second in the hero charts?" Blue Rose says, turning her head with a little disdain. 

Before Kotetsu could answer back he was cut off by Sky High. "That's right, we want to tell you congratulations for getting second, Mr. Wild. So congratulations and congratulations again." Sky High says, putting one hand in the air, and then the other. "Oh, well, thank you, you guys. That's so nice, thanks," Kotetsu says, blushing, with a little smile. "Really, though, I couldn't have done it without Bunny. He's helped me a lot. And now with all your support, I can actually picture being King of Heroes," Kotetsu says, scratching the back of his head, and looking down with some embarrassment.

"That's right, you have this," says Dragon Kid. "MmmMm," Origami Cyclone says, nodding his head. "And you always have our support, Wild honey." says Fire Emblem. "Yeah, you just need to be more careful," says Blue Rose "I know, I know.....I will. But hey, I didn't just immediately use my powers this time, like I usually do. I waited for the right moment. Then I popped him right in the kisser." Kotetsu says with enthusiasm.

"Haha, that's true." Says Rock Bison. Fire Emblem, snickering, pats Kotetsu on the back. Sky High laughs and puts his arm around his neck. Dragon Kid gently punches his arm. Origami Cyclone nods profusely. Kotetsu softly laughs and messes up his hair. Origami Cyclone shyly smiles at him. 

"Well, next time don't go so far without us. How do you expect us to help you when you are that much ahead?" Blue Rose says to him with a scolding tone in her voice. "Hey now, I'm not a kid....plus, Bunny was with me. So it's all good," Kotetsu says, looking at her with a twinge of irritation in his smile. "Yeah, I guess. But this lecture was meant for the both of you...though more for him than you. I mean, you do this stuff all the time, but him.....let's just say I was expecting better," Blue Rose says, crossing her arms with dismay. "Well, knowing it was for him, too, doesn't make it any better." Kotetsu says, mumbling to himself, and hunching over with more irritation. 

"Huh? Did you says something?" Blue Rose says, turning around and looking at him in confusion. Kotetsu shoots up from his hunched over position and smiles at her before she could notice how he was acting. "Oh no, I didn't say anything," he says, shaking his head vigorously. "Oh-ok," says Blue Rose. 

Fire Emblem, noticing Kotetsu's dismay, puts his hand on Blue Rose's shoulder, "Hey now, that's enough lecturing, don't you think? Don't you want to tell him congratulations, Honey?" 

"Oh yeah, congratulations....but only to you, not that partner of yours," Blue Rose says, turning her head again. "Thanks...I guess...Why are you so hard on him? I just don't get it," Kotetsu says, a little dejected. No one answers him and the room fills with silence. They all just stand there looking at each other, thinking the other would answer, but no one did. 

Kotetsu looked at them, and realized that they all felt different from before. He couldn't say that he hadn't notice this, but he hadn't realized how much things had changed since the Justice Day fiasco. Something had changed with them all. He knew why Rock Bison was being the way he was, but the others? Well, he knew if he thought about it, he could probably figure it out. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, though. After a minute more of the silence, with nobody answering him, he looks down and to the side just in time to catch movement out of the corner of his eye. 

"Huh? Bunny?" He thinks, looking up, shocked at the realization that Barnaby had been standing there. He must have overheard them and was leaving. Kotetsu just watched as his blonde-haired partner left. He wanted to stop him, but he knew better. 

"Well Honey, let's just go ask Handsome if he wants to go drinking to celebrate," Fire Emblem says, changing the subject. He wants to make sure Kotetsu knows that Barnaby is always welcome. But, Kotetsu knew that he was just being nice...and that no one noticed Barnaby walking off, or that he had been there in the first place. 

"Oh you know, I'm kind of tired. So, I think I'm going to call my daughter, and head to bed," he says with a big smile that hid his sadness. "Oh-ok, Honey," says Fire Emblem seeing that Kotetsu seemed down. "What?! Oh come on man. Don't wimp out on us." Exclaimed Rock Bison. "Yeah, Mr. Wild," says Sky High. "Oh no, I really am tired. I'll see you guys later." Kotetsu says, waving his hand at them. "Oh now—" Rock Bison tries to say, but is cut off by Fire Emblem, "Ok, Honey, see you later. Rock Bison looks out from behind Fire Emblem's shoulder in confusion, and watches with the others as Kotetsu walks off. 

"Hey, why did you do that, Fire?" asks Rock Bison. "Well, Honey, didn't you notice that Wild Honey didn't really want to go anywhere?" says Fire Emblem. "HUH!? Really?—" Rock Bison looks at him with shock, "—I mean, I know he was down because of the conversation we just had, but, it's not like we were going to exclude Barnaby." Fire Emblem, shaking his head, says, "Oh, Honey, come on now, would you make Wild Honey hang out with people you like but he doesn't?" "Well, no I wouldn't...." says Rock Bison. "Then it makes a lot of sense what I just did. Wild Honey is just thinking of us. How is he supposed to have fun if he knows that we didn't want Handsome to come with us. Whether Handsome came or not, it would have bothered Wild Honey. Then it might have ruined our fun, and then he would have felt bad for it. I was just letting him go so he didn't feel like he was troubling us," Fire Emblem says. "Oh, I see now....but it wouldn't hurt us if he did trouble as a little. I wouldn't mind," Rock Bison says, looking away with a pouty face. Fire Emblem just giggled at him. "What!? What did I say?" asked Rock Bison, staring at Fire Emblem with confusion. "Oh nothing, Honey, let's just go." Fire Emblem says, waving his hand at him. 

"Oh-ok, wait for me....how'd you get so far ahead so quickly!?" Rock Bison asks, trying to catch up to them. "Just hurry up," says Blue Rose, while Dragon Kid just laughs. Fire Emblem, who had caught up with her and Blue Rose, giggled at Rock Bison's exasperation. Rock Bison just groaned, but was happy to see Sky High and Origami Cyclone were waiting for him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kotetsu made his way to his and Barnaby's office, with every step feeling as heavy as his heart. He sighs to himself as he turns the corner to see Bunny getting ready to leave. "Hey Bunny, what's up?" Kotetsu says, trying to hide his forlorn expression behind a big smile. "Oh, Kotetsu, just getting ready to come find you, to congratulate you for getting second place in the hero charts," Barnaby says, looking at him with a small smile. 

"Oh, wow, thanks. Really though, I couldn't have done this without you. So thank you for all your help. I also wanted to tell you congratulations for getting third place," Kotetsu says, with a more truthful smile. Barnaby gives a small chuckle and replies, "Oh no, really, I think you're under-estimating yourself. I'm sure you would have done this without me." Barnaby is starting to realize that Kotetsu seems a little down. "I mean you have done it before, right?" Barnaby winks at him with a smile. "Oh yeah, you're right.. But I didn't have only one minute of power back then, though," Kotetsu says, scratching the back of his head, a little shy at what Barnaby said. "Yeah, but still, I know you would have done well. With or without powers, you're a fighter," Barnaby says, giving him a charming smile.

Kotetsu blushes at what Barnaby said, and forgets himself and blurts out. "Hey, Bunny, you want to go drinking?" Kotetsu looks at Barnaby with the most hopeful eyes. "Oh, I'm so sorry Kotetsu....but I have a date with Sarah," Barnaby says, looking down. It was so obvious that he wanted to go with Kotetsu instead. "Oh no, it's cool...really, you should go have fun with your girlfriend, and celebrate with her. Drink enough for the both of us, OK?" Kotetsu says, hiding his disappointment with a smile. "Oh-Ok, I will....see you later," Barnaby says, with his smile losing some energy. "Yeah, um, bye, see you tomorrow," Kotetsu says, hiding his depression.

With a nod, Barnaby walks past Kotetsu mumbling something along the lines of 'good night'. Kotetsu nodded at him, too, and watched him go. When Barnaby walked past, Kotetsu took a deep breath and Barnaby's scent filled his nose. It was such a wonderful smell. He stood there in a daze, thinking, "What an amazing scent. Is that his body wash or his hair products? Vanilla? I think that's what it is. Yeah, he smells like vanilla." It took Kotetsu a while to realize that he had been watching Barnaby's figure fade away down the hallway. The only reason he did notice was because he couldn't see him anymore. He snapped out of his daze, and blushing, walked over to his seat and sat down. Putting his elbows on the desk, he let his thoughts run away with him. 

"Wow, it has only been one day, but it was such a full day....Man, I hadn't realized how much things had changed—" he thought to himself, "—what happened? I mean, I know that Bunny and the other Heroes weren't the best of friends, but it wasn't like this, or am I wrong? When I think on it, they all got along and talked sometimes. I know that Bunny's not the most open person, and he's hard to get to know, but, still, what happened to them all?" He laced his fingers together and propped his chin on them, turning his head to the side. His thoughts go back to what Rock Bison had said just last night. That wasn't the first time he'd said something like that about Bunny, and it probably wouldn't be the last. "Now that I think on it....The first time he said something like that was a week and half after the Justice Day fiasco.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"That GUY..." Rock Bison said through his drunken stupor. "Huh?? What guy?? Someone making passes at your girlfriend, Antonio??" Kotetsu slurs. "NO, that guy you work with.." Antonio blusters. 

"Huh, who's he talking about? Kotetsu thinks hard through his inebriated state. 

"I just put my finger on it....Why I've been so pissed at him. He didn't even miss you at all when you guys were separated as partners. That Barnaby is a massive ass... And now I have been thinking on it. Everything that happens to him seems to roll right off of him, and right onto you. You're always cleaning up his messes, and he doesn't even do anything for you. Instead he takes you for granted." Antonio says slamming his drink down on to the bar. 

Kotetsu, jumping from the sudden action, was speechless. He wasn't sure what to say to his friend. They had been friends since high school. He had known something was bothering Antonio, but he could not have guessed this.....

"I remember trying to tell him that wasn't true, but he wouldn't listen to me, and I know it wasn't just because he was drunk. That damn stubborn cow," Kotetsu thinks, while scratching the back of his head ferociously. "I mean, Bunny's not the kind of person to tell you what he's really feeling, except behind closed doors." Kotetsu stops and grips onto the cloth of his pants, tensing every muscle in his body in his anxiety. "I mean, that day in the changing room, he DID....."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Kotetsu is fixing his tie, someone suddenly spins him around and grabs both his upper arms tightly. "Bunny?!" Kotetsu says in confusion with a goofy smile. 

"DON"T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!!" Barnaby yells and then looks down. His voice gets a little lower, "Please don't go again, I need you as my partner....I missed you....Don't ever think it would be better for me, or, for anyone else if you stopped being a hero. The only reason you should ever stop is because YOU want to stop. You hear me?" Barnaby says in a hoarse whisper with tears in his eyes. 

"Bunny," is all Kotetsu could say in reply. Bunny had said what Kotetsu had been wanting to hear from him. "If you ever do that again, I won't forgive you....You hear me?" Barnaby says, looking deep into Kotetsu's amber eyes. "I won't, I promise." Kotetsu says, feeling the tears wanting to well up in his own eyes. It took everything he could, to not cry. 

"Good," Barnaby says with a relieved smile. It was obvious to Kotetsu that his blonde-haired partner couldn't hold back the tears anymore. The moment Bunny slumped against him and started to cry, Kotetsu engulfed him in a strong hug. While holding the sobbing Barnaby, Kotetsu's tears started to spill over as well. He tilted his head down onto Bunny's hair and he could feel it tickling the tip of his nose. All they could do was hold each other and quietly sob together. "Bunny....Thank you so much," he was barely able to say through his now loud sobs. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"He smelled so good that day....well, he always smells that good. How is it that I didn't realize it was vanilla that I was picking up on, until now?" Kotetsu snaps again out of his thoughts, blushing profusely, and shaking his head. "Whoa, I'm getting sidetracked....why do I care about how he smells? I mean, really....that's not important right now." Kotetsu lets go of his pants and starts to fidget with his hands on the desk. "Really, what I should be trying to figure out is why the other Heroes treat him the way they do. I guess Blue Rose feels the same way Antonio does, but what about Fire Emblem and the others? I mean, I get Dragon Kid....she is best friends with Fire and Rose so she wouldn't want to upset them....Is Fire always just being nice to Bunny? Maybe he's not been a big fan of him after all. Well, it's no secret that Fire thinks he's handsome, but does that mean he likes Bunny as a person? Maybe not....Bunny was quite rude to him many times, but that was a long time ago. Also, Bunny doesn't try to get any closer to the heros so maybe that's what happened. They all started to build walls. Plus, Origami Cyclone tries to follow the path of least resistance....can you blame him? He has so much anxiety, and now that he and Sky High are drinking buddies with Rock Bison, of course they wouldn't want to be mean and disrespectful to Bison, who is obviously not very happy with Bunny...."

"Speaking of walls, maybe I've put up some myself when it comes to Bunny. I have....if I think about it, I'm the reason the other Heroes even tried to get along with Bunny, but when I started to put up walls, they quit making the effort, and so did he....Why? When?" Kotetsu thinks, leaning back in his seat, with his arms behind his head. "Was it because of him getting a girlfriend?....No, that's not it. It happened before then. Lets see, after he told me these things about not wanting me to leave, we had gotten real close....he came over to my house all the time or I went to his. In fact, we were drinking together almost every night. He would help my daughter with her homework sometimes, and we would all talk for long periods of time. I love that he didn't mind talking with my daughter. I mean, she is my whole world, and he was cool with that. That made me really happy....so, maybe after that?" Kotetsu leans forward, putting his hands back on the desk, he plays with his wedding ring. 

"Well..... Maybe it was after I told him that Kaede was eligible for a scholarship at a school that he went to when he was her age. At first, she was just in the top hundred and we were not sure they would even choose her for it, but I still told him about it. I was just so proud of her....I didn't care if she ever made it in, and boy he was so excited for us as well. In fact, he was really kind of cute then..." Kotetsu blushes and laces his fingers together. "Hehe, yeah, we talked about it for hours in that dressing room. I remember how encouraging he was, and how he sent Kaede congratulations and good luck through me. The happiness that welled up within me that day just stayed with me for weeks, and when she flew up to the top two, my heart stopped. I almost cried I was so happy and proud. For her to do that, it was so amazing, inspiring, it just took my breath away. But.....I was worried..... I had heard scholarships at prestigious schools like that were rigged and were just there to make them look good. It started to dawn on me that if they said no, it might be for reasons other than her failing to earn it. I mean, it shouldn't matter. She had made it that far, but I just wanted her to get it. I knew she wanted it so bad and so did I. It would mean that she could come to live in Sternbild....I have been wanting that for so long, and I even know how I could work it out, especially with Bunny helping me by covering for me. I could actually have my daughter around. But, I'm getting sidetracked, I think it's obvious how much Kaede and I wanted this....I told Bunny about my worries, and he in turn, told me the truth."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"I'm so sorry, Kotetsu... I was not sure how to tell you, but even when I went to school there, they just used these scholarships to make certain people happy. I mean, it's still really impressive how far Kaede has made it. In fact, I've never seen anyone like her make it so far....she has defied the odds. She has more of a chance than anyone," Barnaby says, trying to be as comforting as possible.

Kotetsu looks down and goes quiet. "I'm really sorry Kotetsu. I didn't want to tell you.. But you did asked me to tell you the truth.." Barnaby says, patting him on the back comforting him. "Oh no, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm just not sure what to do. That's all," Kotetsu says, still looking down and moving more towards Barnaby's comforting touch. "I see, well.. I'm sure she will get it. I mean it when I say she has made it past anyone else like her." Barnaby says, trying to get Kotetsu to look at him by rubbing his shoulders. "Really, you think so?" Kotetsu asks, looking up at him with hopeful eyes. Barnaby smiles at him and says, "Yes, I mean it." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"He was so sweet and made me feel so much better. I was hopeful again—" Kotetsu thinks, sitting there looking off in to space, "—his touch felt so good." Kotetsu shakes himself out of those thoughts. "Then the day finally came for Kaede to find out whether she was accepted. It took me by surprise."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Huh, It's Kaede....but we just talked before you got here." Kotetsu says, puzzled and turning to look at Bunny with a sheepish expression. "Haha, it's cool, go ahead and answer. Don't mind me," Bunny says with a big smile that was contagious. Kotetsu smiles real big himself and answers the phone. 

"Hey, Tiger Monkey, what's up? Whoa....calm down, I can't understand you. What are you so excited about?" Kotetsu laughs, pulling the phone away from his ear and wincing comically. He looks at Bunny, who is laughing because he can hear how happy Kaede is from there. Kotetsu waves at him and puts the phone back to his ear. "OK, Sweetheart. Calm down and tell me what you said before....where I can understand it, please." Kotetsu says with a look of pure bliss. He was so happy to know that Kaede was so happy. "Huh? Wait, what.... No, really... YOU'RE KIDDING ME! YOU GOT THE SCHOLARSHIP?!" Kotetsu yells, jumping up and down in his seat. Barnaby was startled from the sudden noise and action coming from the dark-haired man next to him. Kotetsu turns to look at Bunny, and exclaims loudly, "BUNNY, SHE GOT THE SCHOLARSHIP!" 

Kotetsu was dancing in his seat. Barnaby was laughing at Kotetsu's reaction to the news. Bunny gave Kotetsu a really big smile, saying, "I told you she would get it, now, didn't I?" Kotetsu was laughing and smiling at Barnaby like, 'Yeah, you did.' "Huh? yeah, I'm talking to Bunny just now. Why?" Suddenly Kotetsu's face changed. He was obviously dumbstruck, but Barnaby couldn't tell what was going on. "Wait, why do you need to thank him? What do you mean he went in and vouched for you? He said what?" Kotetsu turned his head with tears in his eyes, and looked at Barnaby as if he was seeing him for the first time. 

"You...went...and told them...that? You...Oh my, thank you so, so, so, so much, Bunny. I can't thank you enough," Kotetsu says, with tears pouring down. Barnaby looked at him with surprise. "Huh?" is all he could say. "The principal called her personally and told her that she got the scholarship. He went on to tell her she will be sharing it with another boy, and that it was not often they couldn't decide between two applicants. He also told her that you came in to say that she is a very promising young lady and she would be perfect for the scholarship," Kotetsu says, looking at him. 

Barnaby stutters in shock, "What, he said that? I just wanted them to know they were making the right decision. That's all..." Barnaby says, stumbling over his words with a sheepish expression. Kotetsu just watched as his blonde-haired partner made it sound like he didn't do anything, really. Kotetsu stops him from talking and hugs Bunny so tight there was no way he was ever getting away again. He felt Bunny's arms wrap around him as he returned the hug just as tightly. Suddenly, they heard a young girl's voice saying, "DAD, ARE YOU THERE? HELLO?" It snapped them back into reality and made Kotetsu realize that he had dropped the phone. "Oh, sorry, Honey...I was just thanking Bunny. Yes, yes, I know you want to thank him too...here's the phone," Kotetsu says, wiping away his tears and handing Bunny the phone. He listened as Bunny congratulated her and insisted that there was no need to thank him. That he was happy to hear that she did it. Once he was done he gave the phone back to Kotetsu, who smiled and took it back. "Yeah, what about Uncle Muramasa? Oh, I see, he just came in, and you want to tell him, too. OK, Tiger Monkey, I love you, too. Bye," Kotetsu says with a big smile, and hangs up the phone. He then turns back to Bunny, smiling so big he felt his cheeks burning from the action. But he just couldn't stop. Not that he wanted to. 

Barnaby looked at him, embarrassed. Kotetsu just couldn't help himself and hugged Barnaby again. "Kotetsu, I know this is a weird request, but...." Barnaby says into Kotetsu's shoulder so that it came out very muffled. "But what?" Kotetsu asks him. Barnaby got up and turned to look at him with such a serious expression, "Please.... Please, dance with me." 

Kotetsu was shocked into being speechless. He looked at the hand extended towards him, then back at the man that had asked him to dance. He almost waited too long to answer. "Um...sure, let me turn on some music," Kotetsu says, reaching out and grabbing Bunny's hand. "OK, cool," Barnaby says nervously helping Kotetsu up. He watched as the dark-haired man walked over to a record player and started some soft music. When Kotetsu turned around and looked at him, Barnaby extended his hand once again. When Kotetsu took his hand, Bunny pulled him close to him....so close. In fact, there was not even a inch of space between them. He then proceeded to put his other hand on Kotetsu's waist. 

"Oh man, Bunny, can't I lead this time?" He joked, trying to make the situation less awkward. "Haha, well, I'm the one that asked, didn't I?" Barnaby jokes back with him, doing his part to relieve the tension. "So?" Kotetsu says, trying to make an effort to be disagreeable, but it was obvious he had because he had relaxed into Bunny's arms. "You know I have to be the lead," Barnaby says, his voice muffled again. He had buried his head in Kotetsu's hair. Kotetsu just sighed in disagreement, but in truth, he was liking this. So much so, it had just dawned on him they had started dancing the moment Bunny put his hand on Kotetsu's waist. At some point, Kotetsu realized he had put his arms around Bunny's neck, and was slow dancing with him. All he could do was take a deep breath, and his partner's wonderful scent filled his nose. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Vanilla... I probably hugged him so tight that night... I just couldn't think of anything else but him. His hands, and the way he moved them... When he slid his hand onto my leg for the dip. He gripped it so tight, and leaned me back. I could feel my entire body shudder from the contact. Every move he made was so fluid and graceful...I can still remember every moment. I still get goosebumps just thinking about it." Kotetsu thinks, turning bright red, covering his face with both hands. "His breath.. I could feel it, he was so close....He was so close to my neck, I could feel him breathing. It felt so good..... I want him to... I want him to.... Whoa? What did I want him to do?!" Kotetsu stopped at the thought that had just popped into his head. He could feel the heat rising from his cheeks. He knew they most be so red for him to feel them burning like that....hoping that shaking his head profusely would make his incredibly hot cheeks stop bothering him, but it didn't work. 

"That must be what happened. That's when I build the wall. I mean, after all....two guys dancing?" he thinks. Suddenly he heard something ringing in his pants pocket. He jumped in shock, but, to tell the truth, he was relieved to be pull out of his thoughts. He looked down to see it was his daughter calling.

"Hey, Tiger Monkey—" Kotetsu says, but he was cut off. "Dad, why didn't you call? I got your message saying that you were leaving the hospital, and I saw what happened. Are you and Barnaby OK? I heard you both went to the hospital," Kaede says in a really stern and worried voice. 

"Oh, Honey.. I'm sorry. I got caught up doing some things at the office. I was going to call you back. Me and Bunny are just fine....just some cuts and bruises, nothing too big. I thought I told you this in the message," Kotetsu says, trying to put her at ease. "Yeah, you did....but you didn't call back," she says, in a exasperated tone. Oh, Honey, that was—" he tries to say, but Kaede cuts him off again, "—Grandma wants to talk to you." Kotetsu was going to say something more, but then his mom was on the phone. The rest of the conversation was Kotetsu trying to put his mom and his daughter at ease, even though they were lecturing him on needing to be more careful. 

End of chapter two


	3. No Hot Dogs for Lunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all the Kudos. I hope this chapter is just as good as the last one. ^^  
> My mom came up with that chapter name. She is my editor. So I think this name fits it perfectly. X3

"I can't believe Mr. Creepy is still big news after all this time," Kotetsu says, folding up the newspaper and laying it on the table. "Yeah, well, he did give us a run for our money," Barnaby says, looking at the restaurant menu. "True that," Kotetsu says, watching the cars passing by. "On another note, Kotetsu, why did you all of a sudden want to go out for lunch?" Barnaby asks, peeking around his menu at him. "Huh? Oh, that....that's because I feel like we haven't been spending enough time together lately. That's all," Kotetsu says, looking at him with a goofy smile and a little blush. "Oh, OK," Barnaby says, not really sure what to say to his silly partner. 

Kotetsu looks away from Barnaby's curious stare and tries to change the subject. "Wow, the weather is nice today. I think eating outside was a great idea," he says, turning his head back around to look at Barnaby, hoping his expression had changed. To Kotetsu's relief, Barnaby went back to looking at the menu. But now, there was an awkward silence between them that they couldn't seem to shake off. 

The waiter came up and put their drinks on the table. "OK, so you had the water, and you, Sir, had the tea with lemon?" he inquires. "Yes, thank you," Kotetsu says, taking the lemon and squeezing it into his tea. "Good, so you guys ready to order?" the waiter asks, pulling out a pen and a little black notebook. "Yes, I would like the Caesar salad with vinaigrette," Barnaby says, looking up at the waiter and handing him the menu. "OK, and you Sir?" the waiter asks, after writing in his black notebook. "Yeah, I want the burger with everything on it, plus mayonnaise," Kotetsu says, handing his menu to the man. The waiter started writing but stops suddenly and looks up at Kotetsu, puzzled. "Mayonnaise?" he asks. "Yes, why, is that going to be a problem?" Kotetsu asks the waiter, with a puzzled look himself. "Well, I'm just not sure if we have it," he says, scratching the back of his head. "Well, it's cool if you don't," Kotetsu laughs and nods to the young man. "I'll see what I can do for you," he says, now taking the menu from Kotetsu and walking off.

"I think he thought you were joking with him," Barnaby chuckles, putting his hand in front of his mouth. "Yeah, I think you're right," Kotetsu laughs with Barnaby. "But, really, Kotetsu, what's going on?" Barnaby asks, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. 

Kotetsu, purposely not meeting his gaze, sits there in silence, thinking, "How do I tell him that I just want to stop putting up walls between us? And all just because we danced....that's silly, I mean, really, we're friends and all friends have their weird things, so, I can't just push him away because of that....plus, I miss him...." Kotetsu looks down at his hands as his face starts to burn with the realization. 

Suddenly, Barnaby puts his hand on Kotetsu's right wrist. It pulls Kotetsu from his thoughts and he looks up at Barnaby. "Kotetsu, does it have something to do with the fact that we never finished what we were talking about before?" Barnaby asks, staring into his eyes. "Huh?! Oh, that conversation back before we fought Mr. Creepy?" Kotetsu asks, feeling his face going brighter red as he stared back into Bunny's emerald green eyes. "Yeah, that one," Barnaby answers with a sweet smile that had Kotetsu's heart racing in his chest. "Oh, um, um, well, yeah, it does...I....I just thought, you know, we have been a little....distant—" Kotetsu struggles to explain. He tries to look away from Bunny, but he was captivated by Bunny's eyes. 

"Oh, yes, I guess I have been a little distant lately," Barnaby says, losing a little of his smile and diverting his eyes. "Oh, oh no, I'm the one that's been a little distant," Kotetsu says, shocked, trying to get Bunny to look back at him. "Oh, really?" Barnaby says, with a little amusement in his voice, turning to gaze into Kotetsu's amber eyes. "Yeah, hey, what's so funny?" Kotetsu asks, glaring at him with his lip poked out. "Oh, nothing," Barnaby says, pulling his hand away from Kotetsu's wrist in order to hide his laughter. "Then, why are you laughing at me?" Kotetsu pouts, staring at Bunny with a face like, 'I'm not amused'. "Oh, sorry, it's just the look on your face," Barnaby says. "Huh?!" Kotetsu says, with a bit of agitation.

Kotetsu, a little mad, turns his head and starts to watch the cars again. He feels someone's hand slide gently onto his. Spinning his head around, he sees Barnaby's hand is back on his wrist. Kotetsu watches as Barnaby straightens the sleeve of Kotetsu's suit. "I'm really sorry, Kotetsu, forgive me. Please?" Barnaby says, looking at him with such a sweet smile that it gave Kotetsu goosebumps and made his face heat up all over again. Barnaby didn't even wait for his answer before he started to talk again. "You know, you look good in the suits you wear for interviews. But then again, you have always looked better in a vest," Barnaby says, staring at Kotetsu with desire in his eyes. "Oh, um, thanks, you-u-u look good....well you look good all the time," Kotetsu says, stuttering and looking down, blushing so much that his ears were red, too. Barnaby chuckles and shoots back, "Oh, thank you. But I'm no match for you," deepening his stare. "Huh?!" Kotetsu says, lifting his head to gaze back at him. "What, no. You're the one that's beautiful, not me," Kotetsu exclaims. Barnaby smiles at him and leans over the table to Kotetsu and whispers, "Yeah, well, you're just being modest and the fact that you don't see it makes you even more beautiful."

Kotetsu's red face and racing heart were keeping him from talking. He hadn't realized how much he's missed this kind of attention from Barnaby. In fact, he couldn't hide his disappointment when Barnaby leans back in his chair. Kotetsu so badly wanted to grab him....and do what? He wasn't sure, but still he wanted to do something. It took everything he had not to reach out for Barnaby and he thinks to himself, "Bunny, you didn't have to go. It was fine that you were so close. Why did you leave?"

"Bunny, I just don't know what to say, That's really sweet—" Kotetsu was saying, but was cut off by Barnaby. "Really, it's just the truth." Barnaby says. 

"S-s-still, it's really nice to tell people stuff like that...." Kotetsu says, diverting his eyes, the blush on his cheeks darkening. "Yeah, well, I just want you to know. I think you're not told enough," Barnaby says, watching Kotetsu with a curious expression. 

Kotetsu looks up at him, and they stare back at each other. As they sit there not saying anything at all, Barnaby reaches up and takes Kotetsu's hand in both of his. Barnaby looks down at their hands and then back at Kotetsu's honey sweet eyes. "Your hands are so scarred and calloused," Barnaby says to him, without his gaze wavering. 

"Oh yeah, sorr—" Kotetsu was going to say, but was cut off. "Oh no, don't get me wrong, Kotetsu. I love them. They're strong, hard-working hands," Barnaby says, with a gentle smile. Kotetsu's burning face had reached an all new heat level, but he couldn't stop gazing into the bright green eyes staring back at him. He reaches out with his left hand and places it on top of Bunny's hands. "And yours are so soft and smooth. You have the hands of a prince," Kotetsu says softly, with a sweet smile that made Barnaby blush a little, too. "Haha, thank you," Barnaby snickers. Kotetsu grins at Bunny's embarrassment. "Oh, no problem, Bun-ny," Kotetsu singsongs, messing with him. It was a moment they both wanted to never end.

"You know, when I was a kid, we pretended that we could do palm reading....but it was just an excuse to hold our crush's hand. Hehe, but anyway, I did pick up a little bit of it. You want me to try and read your palm?" Kotetsu asks. "Oh, yeah, sure. Let's do it," Barnaby says, almost pleading. "Ok, cool," Kotetsu says, opening his hand and running his finger along the lines of Bunny's palm. "Ok, you see this line here....I know it means you'll have a long life. Oooh, that's a really good one," Kotetsu says, grinning at him. "I think this one means that you're logical, and this one I know is good health. Haha, and this one means that you're a good lover. Aww, Bunny's a secret romantic," Kotetsu says, looking up at him with a smile. 

Barnaby's smile was big and devious. "Oh, is that so? I didn't know this. Go on, tell me more Kotetsu. What does it say about my lovemaking skills?" Barnaby teases, his smile growing more devilish by the moment. Kotetsu's heart, which had finally calmed down, is now racing in his chest again. "Oh, um, um, well, you see, I don't, well—" Kotetsu stutters before being cut off by Barnaby. "Hehe, I'm just kidding with you Kotetsu. There's really no reason to get tongue-tied," Barnaby says, looking at him with clear lust in his eyes. "Oh, haha, you got me," Kotetsu says, peeking at him shyly. 

The intensity of Bunny's stare was unwavering, and enough to make Kotetsu almost lose himself. He realized those intense eyes were drawing him forward and looked away quickly. He wasn't sure where this was going, but he was sure he needed to put a stop to it. But, was it just him or did Bunny like it, too? Could it be that Bunny was just teasing him? Whatever it was....He couldn't help but to ask himself, "Is it Ok for guy friends to act like this? Are we being weird, or am I just being too self-conscious?" He couldn't find the answer and maybe he didn't want to know.

"Kotetsu?" Barnaby says, looking for his partner's eyes. Kotetsu looks up at him and realizes their hands are still intertwined. "Oh, sorry, I'm spacing out again," he laughs, reluctantly pulling one hand away to scratch the back of his head. "I'll say so—" Barnaby says, with a flirty chuckle, "—now what else does my palm say?" A blushing Kotetsu looks down and says,"Oh, again, sorry to disappoint, but that was all I knew." Barnaby tells him with a big grin, "Ahh, I see, that's fine. No disappointment here. I was quite impressed, but now I'm curious what else you did when you were a kid?" Kotetsu answers with a little silly smile, "Oh, really, then just hold on a minute and I'll show you." Kotetsu lets go of Barnaby's hand, a little sad that he had to, but at the same time a little relieved.

"Ok," Barnaby says, watching intently as Kotetsu rips a page off the newspaper next to him and carefully tears it to the right size. Then, to Barnaby's amazement, he starts to fold it with precision. Within a couple of minutes, Kotetsu produces a beautiful origami rose. Barnaby just gapes at Kotetsu, speechless.

"Here you go," Kotetsu says, handing the rose to Bunny. "Oh, really, I can have it?" Barnaby asks, gently holding it as if it was the most precious thing in the world. "Of course, Bunny, all yours. I made it for you," Kotetsu says, closing his eyes and smiling a playful smile. "Thank you so much, I love it. It's awesome. I had no idea you could do origami," Barnaby says, looking at his rose with childish wonder. "Oh yeah, I did it all the time when I was a kid. If you want, I can make you an origami crane," Kotetsu offers with a shy smile. "Would you please?" Barnaby asks eagerly, with a look of pure excitement. "Sure," Kotetsu laughs and starts on the origami crane. As he's working on it, Barnaby watches with total contentment. 

Suddenly someone blocks the light, causing Kotetsu to stop mid-fold. Both men look up at the same time and see— "Sarah?!" Barnaby sputters in shock. Kotetsu blinks up at the woman and thinks, "Huh?! Bunny's girlfriend??"

"Oh, Honey, did you forget?" Sarah asks, with a dramatic sigh. "Forget?" Barnaby asks, confused. "Oh no, you DID," Sarah says, her voice getting a little strident to draw everyone's attention. Kotetsu, with a befuddled look, thinks, "What?! Don't...tell...me, Bunny had a date with HER?!" Kotetsu doesn't know what else to do so he just sits there, mortified. "You forgot about our date," Sarah accuses, putting her hand on her hip with a fake pout on her face. "Wha!? No, I didn't. You cancelled this morning, remember? You said you had stuff to do...." Barnaby explains, with an unreadable face, but Kotetsu knew he was angry. The tone of his voice gave it away. 

"Wha!? But, I thought I texted you the date was back on?" Sarah exclaims loudly. "No, you didn't text me anything since you cancelled...." Barnaby says calmly, with a little of his dismay showing through. Kotetsu was starting to get a little anxious from the conversation. He wasn't sure if Bunny wanted him to stay or go, so he just sat there thumping his leg. "Oh, silly me....I must have forgotten. Wait, is this your partner, Wild Tiger?" Sarah asks, looking Kotetsu up and down, her voice going up a couple of octaves. 

Kotetsu was now more mortified than ever. He doesn't want to be in the middle of this, whatever this is, but he tries to not let Bunny see his discomfort. Right as he was about to speak up, Bunny talks for him. "Oh, sorry, where are my manners? Sarah, this is Wild Tiger, and Tiger, this is my....girlfriend, Sarah," Barnaby says, trying to hide his fury. "Oh, um, hi," Kotetsu says, with a little hesitation. He didn't know why Bunny was so angry with Sarah, but he was.....and it was about to be obvious to everyone.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Wild," Sarah says snarkily, sitting down with her back to the rest of the diners. "Eh, nice to meet you...." Kotetsu says, trying not to be so awkward. He chances a glance at Barnaby, and by the expression on his face, Kotetsu could tell he was barely holding it together. Now he was more nervous than before. "So, you still go by Wild Tiger, even though you've been unmasked and everyone knows your name is Kotetsu T Kaburagi?" Sarah asks pointedly, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands. "Sarah!?, Barnaby says, flabbergasted at her interrogation of Kotetsu. Kotetsu himself was a little taken aback by her complete lack of tact. 

"What.....I just asked what everyone's been wanting to know," Sarah says, looking at Barnaby like he was overreacting. "I'm so sorry—" Barnaby tells him, but Kotetsu cuts him off with, "—No, it's cool, Bunny, she's just curious, and up front, I might add." Kotetsu looks at her with a tight smile, tilts his head and explains, "Well, I would like to protect my image as Wild Tiger, but keep it separate from my personal life. After all, I don't really want to be a celebrity, so I try to keep my mask on all the time when I'm a hero." 

"Oh, well, then....I guess I'm lucky to see you without your mask, or should I say, my boyfriend is," Sarah spits out, straightening her spine and pivoting her head to face Kotetsu. Kotetsu, suddenly realizing his mask is in his pocket, looks around at the other patrons who are trying (and failing) to seem uninterested. Barnaby's face is now white with fury at Sarah's insistence on causing a scene. "Well, he is my partner so, yeah, I don't wear my mask all the time in front of him," Kotetsu says, trying to calm the situation, and it must be working since the other diners are returning to their own conversations.

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense," Sarah says, looking at them with a vacant smile. They both look at each other and then back at her. It was obvious they didn't know what to do and the silence covered them like a blanket. It was awkward, to say the least. "So, I heard that you're going to be in a new movie....what's it about?" Kotetsu asks, thinking this would be a safe subject. "Oh, I can't say anything about that. It's still in production and I would get in deep trouble for leaking information," Sarah scolds, in a venomous tone. "Sorry....I didn't mean to offend," Kotetsu says, holding up both hands and staring at her in amazement. Barnaby rushes to his rescue and says angrily, "Sarah, it's not like it's a state secret or something. I mean, really....it's just a movie. There's no reason to be so malicious about an innocent question." Sarah snaps, "How could you say that? It's my job on the line—" She was trying to scold Barnaby but he cut her off with a smart-ass remark, "So? No one's trying to get you fired.... it's just small talk." 

Sarah just glares at her boyfriend as if HE was being unreasonable. Barnaby just glares right back at her. Kotetsu finds the tension between them unbearable, so he asks, "Ok then, well, um, aren't you in that medical show? I can't remember the name, but I watch it in my spare time." Kotetsu hopes this conversation would relieve some of the tension, but Sarah turns to look at him like he was telling a bad joke. "Oh, that one. I was killed off by being hit by a bus," she says with a scowl. Kotetsu and Barnaby just stare at her with identical looks of disbelief. 

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I missed the last two episodes," Kotetsu says, then, thinking to himself, "maybe I can start watching it again now that she's no longer on the show. She'd ruined it for me." Sarah just stares at Kotetsu, unamused, while Barnaby snickers quietly in the background. Sarah makes a show of crossing her arms over her chest and gripping her elbows tightly. "Well, Sarah, if you're so keen to interrupt our lunch, maybe you should also dictate the topics of conversation," Barnaby says, pleased with himself. Sarah gives a fake little laugh and scoffs, "I guess we're getting a little snippy to show off for the partner." Kotetsu interjects, "Bunny didn't mean anything by—" Sarah doesn't let him finish the thought and snaps, "Bunny?! What kind of nickname is that for a grown man? It's just TOO sweet...." 

Kotetsu scrambles for a way to get Bunny off the defensive and Sarah off the attack. He turns to Sarah, opens his eyes wide and plasters on a big smile and says, "Sarah, I just loved that action flick you were in. What was it like being able to wake up on the beach every day?" Finally, Kotetsu had hit paydirt. Sarah loved to talk about herself and was thrilled with this subject. "That was one of my best movies thus far. I totally enjoyed the filming and my costar was a delight to work with. My chef made a salad to die for from the local fruit. I ate that salad on my balcony every morning in the refreshing ocean breeze and never tired of it."

Now that the tirade seems to be over, Kotetsu notices that Barnaby has visibly relaxed. Neither of them are really listening to Sarah's monologue, but both are feigning interest to keep her under control. Kotetsu continues to play the part of interviewer and Sarah is fully occupied with her part as movie star. After a few minutes of this, Sarah turns dramatically toward Barnaby and exclaims, "Oh no, Darling, I forgot my purse in the car. Could you be a dear and get it for me?" Barnaby looks at the keys in her hand and asks, "Right now?" Sarah's lashes flutter and she semi-whines, "Of course I need it right now....a woman's purse is her life." Barnaby knows he is in a precarious position, so he reluctantly takes the keys and says, "I'll be back in a flash." As he stands, he watches Kotetsu's face for any sign of distress. Anyone else would think Kotetsu was perfectly comfortable, but Barnaby shoots him an apologetic look to show he understands Kotetsu's anxiety.

Kotetsu almost allows his relief to show when he sees that Barnaby is almost running from the table. His attention is wrenched back to their party crasher when she places her hand on his. "Don't you think it's a little strange that we haven't met before now?" she asks quietly, with mock sincerity. Sarah leans forward and says, "I mean, it's been over two months and the only reason we met today is because of an unfortunate mix-up." As Sarah leans forward, Kotetsu leans back. He tries not to make it obvious that he wants to avoid closeness, but he wishes there was a couple more inches of space available. He's wracking his brain for the proper response when the waiter walks up with their food. Kotetsu is so happy to see him he has to suppress the urge to jump up and kiss him.

The waiter places Kotetsu's plate in front of him and says, brightly, "I found that mayonnaise for you, sir. I didn't know how much you'd need so I brought the whole bottle." He looks at Barnaby's empty seat then at the new arrival and then at Kotetsu with uncertainty. To put his mind at ease, Kotetsu says, "Thanks so much. He'll be right back....you can just leave his food here." The waiter is placing Barnaby's plate of food on the table when Sarah starts rattling off her order. "I'll have the butter poached lobster, grilled asparagus and a sparkling water with two slices of lime and a lemon twist." The waiter scrambles to write her order down and then looks up at her to inquire, "Can I get you anything else, Ma'am?" She barely even looks up when she dismisses him with a wave of her hand and asks Kotetsu, "Now, where were we?" Kotetsu sends a quick look of apology to the young man, but he just shrugs as if to say, "What can you do?" and leaves to put in her order.

Sarah notices Kotetsu's attention waning, so she says, a little too shrill, "Is that mayonnaise?!" Kotetsu is putting a large dollop on his burger, but stops to ask, "Yeah, why not?" Sarah has an exaggerated look of disgust on her face when she says, "Well, you must really like white sauces." He's deeply puzzled by her statement, but he answers with, "Well, yeah, I do like white sauces, but I never considered the color. After all, I like tomato sauce....you know, spaghetti with meatballs...." With all seriousness, Sarah then asks, "So, you like meatballs?" Kotetsu wonders why this is important to her, but he answers with, "Shoot yeah, I like meatballs. Doesn't everyone?" She answers with a vehement, "No, not everyone likes meatballs." He gives her a polite smile and then thinks, "Help! Bunny, where the fuck are you?!!" He tries to busy himself by paying close attention to his burger smashing ritual, but, of course, she has something to say about that as well....."What did that poor burger ever do to you?"

Kotetsu looks at her with a blank expression, which perfectly reflects his state of mind. Try as he might, he just can't come up with a single appropriate response. They sit there in a prolonged, uncomfortable silence until she says, "I was really surprised to find you two here....I would have thought a hotdog stand would be more to your taste." Kotetsu brightens at this and answers, "Oh yeah, Bunny and I do eat our fair share of hotdogs....I always get pickles on mine, but Bunny doesn't like them." Sarah looks him up and down and says sarcastically, "Let me guess....you put mayonnaise on your hotdog, too." Kotetsu decides to be clever and answers with a big grin, "Oh, I think we've already established that I like my white sauces." Sarah tilts her head down and lifts one eyebrow and says, "I guess Barnaby likes white sauce on his hotdog, too." Kotetsu thinks to himself, "For someone who looks as if she never eats, she sure is preoccupied with food," before he answers aloud, "No, I think he's really more of a red and yellow fan....."

Kotetsu visibly relaxes when he realizes that though the conversation has taken a bizarre turn, he seems to be hitting it out of the park because Sarah's quite pleased with his answers. He doesn't have much time to bask, though, as Barnaby appears at this moment and plops down into his chair, breathless. As he hands Sarah her purse, he says, testily, "Why didn't you tell me you parked four blocks away? I expected your car to be in the parking lot so it took me forever to find it." Kotetsu doesn't want Bunny to ruin the goodwill he's been busy building, so he doesn't skip a beat in asking, "Hey, Bunny, do YOU like white sauces?" This surprised Barnaby into a chuckle that turns into a full-blown laugh. Between giggles, Barnaby answers the question honestly, "Well, I never thought to categorize sauces according to color, but, sure.....I love a good white sauce if it complements my meal." Barnaby is both amused and puzzled so he asks Kotetsu, "What in the world prompted this line of questioning?" Kotetsu subtly cocks his head at Sarah and says, "I'm not sure....I just know it's terribly important."

As if he was summoned by Kotetsu's desperation, the waiter appears with Sarah's food. As she is seasoning and rearranging it on her plate, the men exchange looks that confirm Barnaby's desire to understand what's going on and Kotetsu's total lack of understanding of the situation. The partners resign themselves to bafflement and decide to dig into their food to get this lunch over with. By the time Sarah looks up from her machinations designed to distract from the fact that she doesn't intend to include eating as part of her lunch, Kotetsu and Barnaby have both eaten a few bites of their meals. Sarah points to Kotetsu's face and says with false concern, "You have a little white sauce on your face....." Barnaby raises an eyebrow at this, but Kotetsu just licks the mayonnaise from the corner of his mouth and gives Sarah the thumbs-up for letting him know. Sarah looks at Kotetsu with a serious expression and asks him, "Is it salty or sweet?" Barnaby jerks his head up from his lunch and shoots a startled look at Sarah as Kotetsu answers, "It's both....that's why mayonnaise is so awesome!"

Barnaby isn't sure exactly what is going on, but he's heard enough to be suspicious of Sarah's choice of topic. Before she can say another word, he asks her with mock sincerity, "Is this obsession with white sauce your way of asking if you can have some of Tiger's mayonnaise?" Sarah turns a cold stare at Barnaby and tells him, "No. I'm not interested in his mayonnaise. I was just curious." Barnaby calmly says, "Just remember that curiosity killed the cat." Kotetsu looks apprehensively back and forth between the two and makes a mental note to ask Bunny later what the fuck that was about.....

~~~~

Kotetsu walks into his house, relieved to finally be able to relax and excited to call Kaede. It's been such a long and strange day that he welcomes the mundane task of sorting mail. As he flips through bills, he notices a flyer for a grand opening. "Awesome, my favorite store is opening a location near me." The bright colored flyer proclaims savings galore: "Grand Opening Extravaganza! Come by this Thursday for savings throughout the store—" Kotetsu stops reading and stares at that one word, COME....COME...Hold the phone...Is that what that woman was implying?! Is that what she meant by "white sauce"? He can't help but yell out to the empty house, "Bunny's girlfriend was actually asking if I was gay? What kind of relationship does she think we have?"

The phone rings, pulling Kotetsu out of his rant. He can see it's Kaede so he jumps to answer. He picks up the phone and says, "Hello, Tiger Monkey!" Kaede says, "Hi, Dad....what's that weird look on your face?" Kotetsu answers, "Oh, my lunch is just catching up with me. How was your day?" Kaede gives him a look that says, "you really think that's gonna work with me?" In return, Kotetsu gives his daughter a look that says, "just let it go...." Finally, Kaede starts jabbering excitedly about her day. It seems her lunch went much better than her dad's.

~~~~

Kotetsu is walking through the door of HeroTV when it suddenly comes rushing back to him. Kaede's call had distracted him enough that he hadn't thought about yesterday's lunch again until this morning. Now he has to find Bunny right away so he can ask him what the hell happened. Kotetsu makes it to their office in record time and is relieved to see that they are the only ones in right now. Barnaby looks up with a hopeful smile and says, "Good morning, Kotetsu." Kotetsu walks straight up to Barnaby's desk and tells him, "I think we need to talk about this white sauce thing...." Barnaby look at Kotetsu apologetically and says, "I am SO sorry, Kotetsu.....I had no idea what she was implying until it was much too late. You can be sure that I spoke to her about her behavior." Kotetsu's brow furrows and he turns a worried look to Bunny, "Oh no, Bunny, you know me....I'm OK. It didn't embarrass me. I'm just concerned that your dates are always contentious like that. Was she just having a particularly bad day or something?" Barnaby looks him directly in the eye and says with much sincerity, "She was upset by someone at work and hadn't let it go by the time she got to lunch. I promise it won't happen again."

Now Kotetsu is even more worried. If he knows Bunny, and he does....that was the biggest, boldest lie he had ever told around Kotetsu. While he is pondering what to do about it, Bunny pipes up, "Mr. Lloyds will be here soon and you know he is expecting that paperwork. Do you need help finishing?" Kotetsu, knowing he's beat, tells him, "No, I've got this. Don't worry." Kotetsu sits down at his desk and starts doing his work, but his mind is a million miles away.

~~~~

Kotetsu puts his face near his plate to take in the aroma of homemade fried rice and thinks, "It's a lot of work to cook your own dinner, but it sure helps clear the mind while putting a delicious meal on the table." He carries his plate to the couch, grabs the phone and prepares to "have dinner with" his daughter. When Kaede answers the phone, she says, "Hey Dad. You having fried rice for dinner again?" Kotetsu jokes with her, "How did you guess? It couldn't be because I have it every night." Kaede answers with a smart-ass remark, "Oh, not every night. You did have take out burgers that one night." They both giggle at that and Kotetsu asks her, "How was your day, Sweetheart?" Kaede just rolls her eyes and tells him, "Oh, you know, same old, same old...." Kotetsu lets that go and says, "Well, I had something interesting happen....I met a movie star yesterday." Kaede lets out a fan-girl squeal and yells into the phone, "Who?! Who was it, Dad? Tell me!" Kotetsu laughs and says, "It was Bunny's girlfriend, S—" Kaede interrupts and says, "—Oh no...not her! I can't stand that Sarah. Are you OK, Dad?" Kotetsu's eyes widen at her response and he reassures her, "Oh, I'm OK. It wasn't that bad." 

"Are you sure? She's just horrible. Did you hear what she did? She made fun of one of her fans in front of hundreds of people....he was mentally disabled and she used that to cut him to ribbons. His parents were so upset. They did tons of interviews telling the story. They wanted to sue. I think that's why they killed her off with a bus on that TV series she was doing," Kaede says with serious irritation. Kotetsu has a light bulb moment and says, "So that's why she got so upset when I mentioned that I watched that series. I missed the last few episodes so I had no idea they had killed her off and you know I pay zero attention to the media as a general rule. SHE doesn't know that, though. She probably thought I brought it up just to embarrass her. Oh no...."

Kaede instantly got the implication and asked her dad, "What did she do? Was she ugly to you, Dad?" Kotetsu was a little shaken by the fury he saw in those little eyes and immediately went into damage control mode. "Oh no, Sweetheart, she wasn't ugly to me. I could just tell she was having a bad day," he said clearly and carefully. He could tell from her face that she wasn't buying it. She stared him down for a minute and then said, "This is why I hate Barnaby dating Sarah. Why does he have to date HER?! This is a clear case of a man letting the little head make the decisions." Kotetsu spits his drink everywhere....he can hear his mom snickering in the background while he sputters, "Where did you hear that expression, Honey? Do you know what it means?" She just looks at him innocently and answers, "Doesn't it mean a guy is dating a crazy girl and he isn't thinking it through?" This turns Anju's snickers into full-blown laughter, but relieves Kotetsu immensely. He stifles his urge to laugh hysterically and just says, "Yes, Dear, that's exactly what it means." She gives him a puzzled look and asks, "What are you not telling me, Dad? I'm missing something here." He no longer even feels like laughing when he realizes that those little gears are turning furiously and it won't be long before she really does figure it out. He tells her, "No, you're exactly right. That is a perfect definition." She reluctantly lets it drop with a long sigh and, "O-K."

End of chapter three


	4. The Handsome Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter for your viewing pleasure. Hope you all enjoy. XD  
> Thanks so much for all the comments and Kudos. X3

Kotetsu is using every bit of his brain to figure a way out of doing at least some of this paperwork. "Bunny," he thinks, and looks up at his soon-to-be-victim to find that Bunny is already watching him. "Kotetsu, did you remember?" Bunny asks. Kotetsu is sure if he stalls, it'll come to him, "Remember? Sure I do." Barnaby tries to hide a smile as he says, "So you have a suit ready for the party?" Kotetsu has a look of pure bewilderment, but he is reluctant to let go of the charade, so he stalls more, "Suit? Well, not yet I don't, but I still have time?" He just couldn't hold in that involuntary question mark at the end of his lie, but since it gave him away, he figures he should just let it go...."OK, I give.....what party?"

Barnaby laughs out loud at Kotetsu's typical antics, but decides to let him off easy. Barnaby tells him, "You know, the party Mr. Lloyds told us about yesterday." Kotetsu looks up sheepishly and says, "You know I have a real problem hearing what that man says. I try to listen....honestly, I do, but I just drift off every time. Couldn't you just tell me?" Barnaby says with a big smile, "I know....I just can't help messing with you about it. I've already planned to take one of your interview suits to the cleaners with mine in a little while. I wouldn't let you miss it." Kotetsu puffs his cheeks out at Bunny and says, "Thanks, Bunny, but you don't have to do that. What kind of party is it, anyway?" Barnaby mutters to himself, "Of course you didn't hear that part, either—" and then says to his partner, "well, it's a fundraiser. We need to rub shoulders with the people willing to fork over the big bucks just to be in a room with us.....at least that will keep us afloat so we don't get in another situation where we're dependent on a sleeze like Schneider."

Kotetsu is trying to listen to the meaning of the words, but he's become distracted by the silky, smooth voice of the man across from him. He thinks to himself, "Wow....has Bunny always sounded like this? I could just listen to him talk all day long...." Just as he realizes that Bunny is no longer talking, he notices the disapproving look on Bunny's face and decides he must be expecting a response. What to say? Kotetsu knows he can't tell him he really looks cute when he purses his lips that way, so instead, he gives Bunny a thumbs-up and says, "Party....Schneider....important...." Barnaby does a perfect face-palm and just shakes his head.....it would probably upset him more if Kotetsu wasn't so damn adorable when he's spacing out. He straightens up and sees the look of apprehension on Kotetsu's face, so he lets out a giggle and leans over the table. Barnaby reaches up to brush an errant sprig of hair back from Kotetsu's face and tells him, "Don't worry about it. You just concentrate on getting the paperwork finished and I'll take care of our suits." Kotetsu's face reddens and he finds that he can't seem to speak so he just nods at Barnaby and then watches him walk out of the office. When he looks back down at the paperwork, he has a huge smile on his face.

~~~~

Kotetsu is listening to Kaede's rant about the sadistic teacher that is torturing her. He is fantasizing about going to her school and stringing him up, but he knows Kaede can handle herself. Some kids might be too intimidated to go to the principal with a test that was graded incorrectly, but not his Tiger Monkey. She knew her answers were right so she took care of it herself. She really seems to be more upset by the prospect that he is doing this to kids who can't stand up for themselves than she is by his mistreatment of her. She's going to make a great hero. She takes a breath and seems to be pondering how much further her rant will go, so Kotetsu takes this opportunity to inject some positivity into their conversation, "I'm just so proud of you, Tiger Monkey. You handled this situation much better than I ever could have....especially at your age." She couldn't help but smile really big and tell him, "Thanks, Dad."

Kotetsu is smiling back at Kaede when he hears someone knocking on his door. She thinks she knows who it is so she says, "Why don't you just let me go, Dad. Someone's knocking and I need to finish my homework, anyway. Go answer the door and we'll talk more tomorrow." Kotetsu says, "OK, Tiger Monkey. Love you. I need to get some dinner anyway." She replies, "I love you, too, Dad. Bye."

Kotetsu opens the door and is surprised to see Bunny standing there in his interview suit. Barnaby answers the puzzled look on Kotetsu's face with, "Did you forget something?" He holds up both hands. In one hand he has some ominous looking papers and in the other he's holding a takeout bag. "Since I had to bring paperwork for you to do at home, I decided to soften the blow by bringing dinner. Have you eaten?" Kotetsu completely ignores the paperwork and greedily takes the bag of food from Barnaby. He tells Bunny, "I'll get the plates. Food first and then we'll tackle the paperwork." Barnaby chuckles and follows him into the kitchen.

What seems like hours later, Kotetsu holds the evil paperwork over his head in triumph and sighs, "Done! Finally!" He's about to ask Bunny if he wants a drink to celebrate when he sees that Bunny has fallen asleep sitting up. Kotetsu gets a pillow and blanket and proceeds to make Bunny more comfortable. That's when he notices how exhausted Bunny looks. He sits next to him to remove his glasses and sees, for the first time, dark circles under his eyes. Bunny doesn't even stir when Kotetsu takes off his glasses. Kotetsu can't resist.....he puts his hand in Bunny's soft hair and thinks, "My bad Bunny, you take care of everyone except yourself...."

Now that he thinks about it, Kotetsu can only remember one other time that he has been able to take care of Bunny. He still doesn't know what upset Bunny so much at that party, but he had never seen Bunny drink in public like that. After he came and asked Kotetsu to be the designated driver, he didn't see Bunny without a drink in his hand the rest of the night. By the time that horrid party was over, Bunny was truly wasted.....and still angry. Kotetsu thinks to himself, "Yeah....he wasn't upset, he was furious. No one else would have known, but Kotetsu could always see straight through Bunny's public mask. Come to think of it, that was right before he started dating Sarah. Wasn't Sarah at the party that night? Yeah, I think that's how they met."

Kotetsu thinks, "That night, Bunny was actually awake when I was taking care of him. I got water for him and had talked him into drinking some before passing out. After taking a big swig of the water, he put it on the table and turned my face to his. What was it he said to me? He smiled that authentic, happy smile and told me, 'You are my perfect ray of light. You're perfection. You make me happy.' I was so embarrassed and then he ran his fingers through my hair and I thought I'd die of embarrassment." Kotetsu smiles at the memory. He knows Bunny said something else before he passed out, but Kotetsu never could figure out what it was and Bunny has made it clear he doesn't want to talk about that night.

The phone on the table starts ringing and vibrating all over the table, but Bunny doesn't budge. He must really be exhausted if his phone doesn't wake him up. Kotetsu is torn - should he answer Bunny's phone? He decides to take a message. What could it hurt? Kotetsu picks up the phone and quietly says, "Hello?"  
His ears are assaulted with a barrage of curses and ranting, most of which he doesn't even catch, but he does pick out a few words here and there. "Get down here....bitch...arrested....don't care who" Kotetsu calms the voice on the other end long enough to get the location. It's a bar. He decides that it must be about Sarah and Bunny is in no condition to be running around in the middle of the night. He can take care of this for Bunny. He thinks, "I'll just let him sleep....he really needs it. I can do this."

Kotetsu recognizes this bar. He's been here himself a few times. When he walks in, it's easy to spot the commotion, but he has to get closer to figure out what's going on. There sits Sarah, drunk and belligerent, arguing with the beleaguered bartender. Her fellow patrons have cleared away, giving at least a six foot radius in all directions. At the six foot point, onlookers have gathered at least three deep so that Kotetsu has to wade through the crowd to reach the epicenter. Sarah is reaching toward the closest onlooker and slurring, "He won't sell me a drink, but you could get one for me. I'll give you fifty dollars." Oddly enough, there are no takers.....they even try to avoid eye contact with her while avidly watching the scene unfold. Kotetsu moves to her side and addresses the young bartender, "The lady wants a drink so you should make her a drink." He winks and mouths the words, "soda water" to the poor guy while Sarah celebrates the fact that someone has finally come to her rescue.

The owner comes over talking into a pink, sparkly phone. He ends the call with a furious jab, but his eyes light up when he sees Kotetsu standing next to Sarah. He hands the phone to Kotetsu and says, "Finally, someone is going to take this woman off my hands." He recognizes Kotetsu as a regular and says, "Hey, you come here a lot. I didn't know you knew her." Kotetsu says, "I'm just helping out a friend by getting her home safe." The owner laughs uncomfortably and tells him, "It's not her safety you should be worrying about. That woman is batshit crazy and it won't be long before she transitions from batshit crazy phase into full-blown heinous bitch phase, trust me. I sure hope this 'friend' is worth it." Kotetsu tugs at his collar so he can get some air....what seemed like a good idea at home, now seems like a dumb move, but he's stuck. He looks at the owner and decides to strike a deal, "How much do you want for the drink, glass and all?" The owner waves his hand and says, "Take it....it's free if you take her with it."

Kotetsu turns to Sarah and whispers in her ear, "Let's take that drink to go. I hear they make really weak drinks here and I have a bottle in the car." Sarah giggles and grabs Kotetsu's tie. She slurs loudly up into his face, "Let's go, Big Boy. I'm game." Kotetsu blushes but only leads Sarah out of the bar to the relief of the staff and all of the other patrons.

As Kotetsu tries repeatedly to buckle Sarah's seatbelt, she's busy trying to suck the last drop of the drink off the ice.....at least what little she hasn't already sloshed all over her and Kotetsu. When he finally gets her settled and is buckled himself, he asks where she lives, but her mind is on alcohol. She leans toward him, going as far as the seatbelt allows and spits out, "Where's the bottle? I'll pour...you drive." Kotetsu hopes she'll soon get distracted, but for now, he lies, "I can't find it. I must have drank it all. Don't you have some at your place?" Suddenly, she is anxious to get home so she tells him, "Oh yeah, I have tons to drink. I have a fully stocked room in almost every bar of my house. DRIVE!" Kotetsu thinks to himself, "OK....let's try this a different way," so he says slowly, enunciating every word clearly, "I.need.to.know.your.address." She just gives him a haughty look and slings her pocketbook in his face. As he opens it to her address, he just keeps telling himself through gritted teeth, "Don't pay her any attention. She's just very drunk."

Now that Kotetsu knows her address, he drives there as quickly as the law will allow. He is just thinking to himself how happy he is that she seems to have calmed down when she grabs his arm with a vice grip. He looks over at her and panics because it is obvious from the look on her face that she is about to hurl. He pulls the car over and stops on a dime, jerking her car door open and leaning her out the door just in time. He had gathered her hair and was simultaneously keeping it out of the stream of puke and controlling her degree of lean with it at the same time. He considered this the first win of the entire night with Sarah. It might not get any better than this and he realizes it might get much worse before it's over.

Kotetsu can't help but pat himself on the back since they have successfully resumed their drive and there is not a drop of vomit in the car or on either one of them. His savoring of his triumph is interrupted with a loud moaning from the passenger seat. Sarah is moaning and pouting and complaining like a petulant child about how horrible she feels. "I have a terrible taste in my mouth. Don't you have anything to drink in this piece of shit? You stupid prick, don't you even carry gum? I hate vomiting....it's so disgusting. I need to change clothes and brush my teeth right now. What is taking you so fucking long, you son-of-a-bitch? Can't you drive any faster or is this the limit for this beat up old clunker?" Kotetsu takes in this barrage of abuse with an outward look of calm, but on the inside he is fuming and repeating the mantra, "she's just drunk....she's just drunk...she's just drunk." Through gritted teeth and a tight smile, he tells her, "Well, Sarah, we're almost there. If you can just hang on a little longer, I'll make you a drink myself." It doesn't stop the moaning and whining, but at least she eases up on the verbal abuse.

In the few minutes it takes to reach her house, she has passed out cold. "Great—" Kotetsu thinks, "—now I've got to carry her dead weight inside." Since she is unconscious, she's no help getting the right key into the door and getting it unlocked, but at least she isn't actively making it harder. He carries her through the huge house looking for the biggest room and finally finds it. This must be her bedroom since there is a picture beside the bed of her with a woman that resembles her. Sister, maybe? He lies her on her side with pillows lined up behind her to keep her from rolling onto her back and is about to call it done when she stirs and whines for water. Kotetsu bites back his frustration and tells her quietly, "Don't worry, I'm going to the kitchen to get you some water right now." He backs away and rushes to the kitchen, hoping to get this chore finished quickly so he can get the hell out of here. When he gets back with the water, he catches her trying to sit up. He rushes over and says, "Now, now...here's your water. No need to get up." He leans over and helps her take a few sips of the water and then places it on the nightstand. 

He's trying to stand up and back away, but she has grabbed his tie and is using it to pull him toward her mouth while ordering him to kiss her. Kotetsu quickly catches himself from falling by putting his hands on either side of her on the bed and then he yanks his upper body backwards in a desperate attempt to get away. She doesn't let go of his tie, however, so she is pulled right off the side of the bed and they both land on the floor awkwardly, her on top. In his panic, he shoves her away and she hits the nightstand and knocks the glass of water onto her head. Kotetsu is freaking out, but she begins to laugh harder and harder. Between gales of sadistic laughter, she says, "Wild Tiger." Something about her behavior creeps him out even more and he no longer cares about consequences. He scrambles away from her, stumbles to his feet and then runs. He doesn't look back until he gets the car cranked and moving down the driveway. 

~~~~

Kotetsu drives home on autopilot. He barely gets into his house and reaches the couch before he collapses from bone-deep exhaustion. The "Sarah Ordeal" has left him confused and angry. Now he has to figure out what to tell Bunny....should he wake him now and get it over with or wait til morning? He's contemplating the horrors involved with either option when he drifts off to sleep right where he sits.

Kotetsu wakes up to a stiff neck and pain in his back that's not relieved by changing positions. As he gets more awake, all of last night's events start coming back into focus. He thinks to himself, "Did Sarah know it was me when she tried to kiss me? Is she mad at Bunny and using me to get back at him for something?" Kotetsu doesn't have time to give it any more thought because Bunny is starting to stir.

Barnaby jerks upright and starts scanning nearby surfaces for his glasses and phone. Both are placed in his hand by Kotetsu and he thinks, "Of course, I fell asleep at Kotetsu's house." He puts on his glasses and sees the time. He exclaims, "6:05! So I slept all night long?" A sick feeling comes over him when he sees Kotetsu's worried expression. He looks down and quietly says, "You answered my phone, didn't you?" Barnaby is determined to give nothing away, but he can see that one utterance has told Kotetsu enough. Kotetsu's expression has leapfrogged past worry to pure horror at Bunny's situation. Barnaby grabs his shoes and makes a break for the door. He knows Kotetsu well enough to know that his only options is to get the hell out before Kotetsu can block his exit.

Barnaby's Handsome Escape works like a charm. Kotetsu is so stunned that he doesn't even reach for him as he bolts past. The door is closed behind Barnaby before it hits Kotetsu that Bunny has no intention of talking about it.....

~~~~

As Kotetsu quickly gets ready for work, he thinks, "What does Bunny think that accomplished? I'll just corner him at HeroTV and get it out of him there." It was a good thought, but Kotetsu spends all day one step behind Barnaby, entering rooms that Bunny has just left and waiting for him in places that he never shows up to. Everyone else is happy that the Heroes weren't called out since they have the party to get ready for, but Kotetsu was a little disappointed. He doesn't want anyone to get hurt, but it would have been impossible for Bunny to avoid him on a call.

While he is fumbling with his cufflinks, Kotetsu thinks, "I'll get that slippery bastard at the party. I bet he can't avoid me there." All of the Heroes have congregated in the lobby and are waiting to be led to the limousines, when Sarah makes her entrance. She walks in like she's on the red carpet, but her outfit is more like something you'd see on a porn star. Her red halter dress is backless with slits on both sides almost up to the waist, showing off her long legs in the highest stilleto heels on the market. Thin strips of fabric come up from the waist to barely cover her breasts and they jiggle with every step.

Rock Bison, Sky High and Origami Cyclone are so uncomfortable that they feel it's only right to avert their eyes. Origami actually takes a step back and to the side so that he is basically hiding behind Rock Bison in hopes that she won't approach him. Fire Emblem and Blue Rose are shocked into letting a look of disgust cross their faces before they get a grip on themselves. Poor Dragon Kid wills herself to fade into the background and slips backward, smoothly putting more distance between her and Sarah. Kotetsu's eyes widen and all he can think is, "Please don't see me. Please don't see me." Of course, she spots him and immediately makes a beeline to him. His eyes are darting all around and his thoughts are racing, but he can find no escape. She stops directly in front of him and says with a sexy smile, "Thanks for last night." Of all the things he imagined her saying, this never occurred to him, so he tells her, "If someone needs my help, I am always going to help them. No matter what." They are interrupted by the furious clicking of heels. Blue Rose walks up to stand near Kotetsu and says to Sarah, "Oh please. No one is buying the idea that a man of Kotetsu's caliber would ever have anything to do with a woman like you."

Sarah pivots her head toward Blue Rose with an eerie, fixed smile. She lets out a playful little chuckle in Blue Rose's direction, then turns back to Kotetsu and says, "I didn't know you had a daughter. It's so sweet that she's so protective of her Daddy." Kotetsu sees the stricken look on Blue Rose's face and knows she is about to make the situation much worse if she gets to speak, so he quickly says, "Sarah, just because I'm old enough to be everyone's Dad, doesn't mean I AM everyone's Dad. This is Blue Rose, my fellow hero.....and quite a fierce one at that."

Kotetsu doesn't even get a second to congratulate himself on diverting disaster with his quick thinking, because it's starting to dawn on him from Blue Rose's defense of his virtue, that Sarah was implying that he'd had sex with her. The very idea that she would try to use him to hurt Bunny has him so infuriated that he refuses to make eye contact with her. Kotetsu knows his friends would never fall for her antics, but the party will be full of people who would. Before he can even get his head around this new worry, Sarah pours gas on the fire by saying to Blue Rose, "Oh...I'm so sorry, dear, but you look older on HeroTV. In real life, it's obvious you're just a babe in the woods."

Fire Emblem saves the day by addressing his remarks directly to Sarah, "Oh honey, you know young people don't appreciate being reminded of their youth. They just don't realize they'll be over the hill like us in the blink of an eye." At this, Kotetsu and Blue Rose are both delighted to watch Sarah's haughty smile melt away, revealing the true ugliness underneath. Fire Emblem has the most innocent look on his face, but he can't hide an undeniable sparkle in his eye as well. All of the other heroes are reveling in Fire Emblem's burn of Sarah, but that doesn't stop them from moving in closer so they are ready for her inevitable nasty comeback.

Sarah glares at all the heroes, one by one, stopping on Kotetsu, "Such an incestuous little group, you—" Barnaby cuts her off, totally by accident, by entering the lobby calling Kotetsu's name, "Kotetsu, did you find your suit where I put it?" They all turn in unison to look at Barnaby and he instantly knows this is a very bad situation, with Sarah right in the center of it. When he notices for the first time what she is wearing, it takes everything he has not to lose it. He is able to keep his voice calm, but the look on his face is pure fury....."Sarah, what are you wearing? I hope you don't think you'll be going to the party in THAT. Here, let me get you home so you can change." He covers the distance between them in a few very long strides and firmly steers her out the door by her elbow. The other heroes can hear the beginnings of their argument as they pass through the front door of the building. 

~~~~

Kotetsu is taking advantage of the first free moments he's had at the party to nurse a drink and rest his weary feet. He's looking around at all the well-dressed people at the party, hoping to catch Bunny without Sarah. It seems like he's been chasing Bunny all day.....in fact, since his "Handsome Escape" early this morning. He spots Bunny, but he's not alone. Sarah's wearing a more appropriate outfit so Bunny obviously won that round, but now they seem to be attached at the hip. Kotetsu lets out a loud, frustrated sigh and thinks, "Bunny was so angry in the lobby.....it's just not like him to get over a fight so quickly, but they sure look like a happy couple."

Kotetsu spots Ms. Agnes making her way toward him with yet another group of rich fans for him to charm. He is so tired that he makes a vow to sneak away to the bathroom the first chance he gets. He spends quite a few minutes having a perfectly pleasant chat with the current group....unfortunately, there is nothing to differentiate it from what seems like a thousand other chats he's already had tonight. There is a lull in the conversation and he quickly excuses himself, as promised. Kotetsu heads down the hall toward the bathroom, wondering if this night will ever end. He just has to find a way to talk to Bunny or the night will be a total loss.

The door to the men's room is slightly ajar. "That's odd," he thinks. He cautiously approaches the door, totally creeped out. When he looks in, he sees a portly, balding man's back...he has his pants to his ankles and is pinning a woman against the sink. From the noises they're making, it's obvious that Kotetsu is going to have to come back later. He starts backing away, but then she catches his eye.....it's Sarah! What's even worse, she knows he's seen her and she gives him a triumphant smile over the stranger's shoulder. Kotetsu's eyes widen in horror and he stumbles backward. As soon as he regains his balance, he turns and runs as fast as his legs will carry him.

End of chapter four


	5. Lights. Camera. Action?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are with another chapter. I hope you all like. Thanks for all the Kudos and Comments as well as Bookmarks. It really means a lot to me. X3

The announcer is yelling in his excitement, "Tiger and Barnaby appear to be chasing the two alleged bank robbers that have split from the group. They're gaining on the hapless criminals and it looks like their journey might soon come to an end!"

Barnaby asks Kotetsu over the comm, "Are you ready?" Kotetsu answers, "Whenever you are..." Barnaby says, "Good. I'm going to reach out and grab the short one, you get the other one." Barnaby snatches the short guy and makes it look effortless. He has him trussed up in no time so he gives his signature salute to the roar of the fans that have gathered. The announcer gives the play by play to the viewers, "Barnaby Brooks, Jr. has made quick work of capturing his criminal. Let's see if Wild Tiger can match his speed and poise." Kotetsu, hearing the announcer's challenge, thinks, "I better get this scoundrel tied up, pronto." He uses his armor pulley system to swoop down in front of the fleeing criminal. The bad guy sidesteps and almost gets away, but Tiger awkwardly grabs his arm and wrestles him to the ground. After some struggling, he rises to show his triumph over the hog-tied suspect, to the delight of the crowd. Instead of a silly salute, he does his signature move announcing the need for a "Wild Roar". The crowd goes wild and the announcer says, "After a rough start, it looks like our Wild Tiger has triumphed over evil. It was touch and go for a minute, but now he has it under control. That's our lovable Wild Tiger!"

Barnaby walks up to Kotetsu, pushing his caught criminal in front of him. He says to Kotetsu, "Nice job, Wild Tiger." Kotetsu answers him with excitement, "Not too bad, yourself, Bunny." Barnaby jerks his head toward the police station and says, "Let's get this pair of crooks down to the station and see if we still have time to catch a few more."

They can hear the announcer when he says to the viewers, "Following the lead of Wild Tiger and Barnaby Brooks, Jr., it looks like Origame Cyclone, Dragon Kid and Sky High have also made arrests today. This wraps up today's exciting broadcast. Tune in next time to see which Heroes rise in the ranks!"

~~~~

Kotetsu sits down across from Barnaby in the Apollon Media truck after removing his armor. He opens the top on his Perrier and says to Bunny, "Well, today was a good day. We got ourselves a couple of arrests. It was a smart move to chase the two that broke from the group." Barnaby smiles and says, "Yeah, you're still in second place and I'm still in third. It looks like Dragon Kid leapfrogged over Fire Emblem to reach number five again, though. Blue Rose better watch out to make sure neither of them steal fourth place from her. We'll get you to King of Heroes in no time, just you watch." Kotetsu blushes and smiles, saying, "Hey, I think we're almost back to HeroTV. I can't wait to get a shower." Barnaby gives him an indulgent smile and decides to let him get away with changing the subject.

~~~~

As Kotetsu strips off his undersuit, he ponders his situation with Bunny. He's been avoiding Bunny as much as possible, without making it obvious, since he walked in on Sarah's indiscretion at the party. Luckily, Bunny would just as soon avoid Kotetsu ever since his "Handsome Escape" the morning of the party, so he hasn't had to make excuses. Kotetsu is walking to the showers, thinking, "Still....we're going to have to discuss all of this at some point. How should I bring it up with Bunny?"

When Kotetsu exits the shower, he turns the corner to see Barnaby, shirtless with his hair still wet, engrossed in his phone. He is so busy with whatever he's doing that he doesn't even notice Kotetsu standing there, staring. Kotetsu thinks, "Wow....has Bunny always had this much muscle definition?" Kotetsu physically shakes his head to get a grip and tells himself, "Of course, Bunny works out much harder than I do every day. He really sweats for that great body of his. No wonder the women go wild for him, he's so good-looking......and that hair looks so soft.....sometimes I just want to run my fingers through it....." Barnaby looks up and sees Kotetsu standing there daydreaming so he calls out to him, "Hey, Kotetsu, whachu doing?" Kotetsu realizes how far his thoughts have strayed and gives himself a good shake to get back on track. He answers in a weird voice that makes Barnaby laugh, "Oh hey, B-B-Bunny." Barnaby chuckles quietly, putting his hands in his pockets and smoothly asks again, "Whachu doing, Kotetsu?" Kotetsu blushes profusely and thinks, "How is he always so damn cool? It's just not fair!" He walks over to Bunny and pats him awkwardly and a little too hard on the shoulder and says a little too loudly in his embarrassment, "Oh, you know, same old....same old." Barnaby cringes before he can catch himself and Kotetsu notices immediately. He says to him, "I'm sorry, Bunny. Did you hurt your shoulder during the arrest?" Barnaby looks away and says, "No, I must have hyper-extended it during my workout this morning."

Kotetsu has the distinct suspicion that Bunny is lying to him. Before he can confront him about this new lie, Bunny grabs his shirt and says, "Well, I've got to get going. I've got some things to take care of." He's gone before Kotetsu even has time to dry off. While Kotetsu is getting dressed, he starts taking account of all the times that Bunny has been injured lately.....it's been happening a lot and Bunny always has a lame-sounding excuse, too. This new, troubling realization really lights a fire under Kotetsu and he thinks, "I've got to find a way to make Bunny talk to me. I can't let him get away with avoiding me any longer. I need a plan."

Kotetsu stomps down the hall to his office and is determined to pin Bunny down this time. He jerks open the door and is stunned to see Sarah sitting at his own desk, no Bunny to be found. He nervously says to her, "Bunny isn't here right now. Why don't I go find him for you?" He stops at Bunny's desk and hopes she will keep her distance. She is clearly disappointed that he won't come to her, so she stands and starts closing in on him, cooing, "Actually, I'm here to see you." Kotetsu stumbles backward and falls clumsily into Bunny's chair, which he forgot was there. She leans into his face and tells him, "I think we need to talk about the other night. Clearly, you haven't told Barnaby. It's just our little secret, isn't it?" Kotetsu is horrified and tells her in no uncertain terms, "NO, I'm not keeping secrets. I just haven't found the right time, but I WILL tell him." She doesn't believe him and plops herself right down into his lap. Kotetsu just reacts and shoves her off him....he sees that she has landed right on her ass on the floor, but before she can recover, he bolts from the room.

Kotetsu is so intent on fleeing from that horrible woman, that he doesn't notice Bunny walking toward the office down a side hall. Barnaby notices him, though. He starts to call out to him, but when he sees that stricken look on Kotetsu's face, he thinks, "Sarah!" and lets him go.

~~~~

Kotetsu is thanking his lucky stars that there was time to collect himself before the photo shoot. Bunny is watching every move Kotetsu makes, even while chatting casually with the photographer during his own shoot. Kotetsu is trying to take deep breaths and enjoy the warming sun's rays on his face so he can relax enough to smile a genuine smile when it's his turn on the hot seat. They call for Kotetsu and as he passes Bunny on the way to the stool, he can feel Bunny's eyes on his back. He doesn't know what Bunny is thinking, but he's afraid that Bunny is angry at his treatment of Sarah. After all, there's no telling what her version of the story was....he doesn't have time to finish the thought because all of the air is knocked out of him and he is stunned to find himself on the ground. What happened? He tries to get his bearings and that's when he sees Bunny near the stool, under debris. What is that? The scaffolding holding the photo shoot background has fallen and Bunny has pushed him out of the way to save him. Barnaby looks up at Kotetsu and says in a weak voice, "Oh, thank goodness you're alright. I thought I was going to be too late." Kotetsu scrambles to his side and says, "Hold on, Bunny—" and then yells to the crowd, "Someone call an ambulance!!" He looks down to see that Bunny has passed out in his arms and his heart drops to his feet.

~~~~

Kotetsu sits in the uncomfortable hospital chair, watching anxiously to make sure Bunny's chest rises and falls without fail and in perfect timing. He's holding Bunny's hand in both of his, making little circles on the back of Bunny's hand with his thumbs. He thinks it is to comfort Bunny, but it's clearly an attempt to comfort himself. He hears a rapid, clicking sound coming down the hall toward Bunny's room and he just knows it is Sarah in her dangerously high stilleto heels. He pulls his hands down to his lap and braces himself for her entrance. He dreads having any interaction with her, but he will not be bullied away from Bunny's side.

As predicted, it is Sarah in her most dramatic entrance to date. She exclaims loudly, "Oh my dearest Barnaby, are you OK? I flew to your side as soon as I heard!" Kotetsu puts his finger to his lips and says, "SHHHHH. Can't you see he's sleeping? Let him rest." Sarah directs a nasty glare in Kotetsu's direction and then makes a show of fixing herself in the remaining chair and taking Barnaby's hand in hers. She brings it dramatically up to her face and places it against her cheek and barks at Kotetsu, "I have every right to be here. I will not be made to leave." Kotetsu has already had all the "Sarah show" that he can take and he hisses back at her, "No one is telling you to leave. I'm simply telling you to put a cork in it." Sarah jerks her head back like she's been slapped. She looks at Kotetsu with new interest and sees the sincerity and determination on his face. She can't hide her enjoyment of the situation as she thinks to herself, "Oh, this is going to be fun." Kotetsu sees the sick look of pleasure cross her face and is disgusted even more.

Sarah looks directly into Kotetsu's eyes and announces boldly, "I appreciate you staying by his side until I could get here, but you can go now." The rage on Kotetsu's face is evident as he looks at her and says, "I'm not leaving him alone with you." Sarah is furious and almost yells, "What did the doctor say? You were here when he came because obviously you weren't hurt in this 'accident'." Kotetsu says to her bluntly, "Just say what are you trying to say, Sarah? Quit acting and be real for a minute. You're wishing I was the one that got hurt." She tries to play it off like that isn't what she meant, "Don't put your guilt off on me. Wasn't it meant to fall on you, after all?" Kotetsu's face reveals all of his anger and his voice is intimidating when he almost yells himself, "What do you mean, it was meant for me? I thought it was an accident. Are you trying to confess that you had something to do with it?!" Sarah dons a look of innocence and actually places her hand over her heart and announces, "I am just here to see my poor injured boyfriend. Of course, I would be upset at your attacking me and defend myself. That doesn't mean I would wish ill upon you."

Kotetsu leans forward and grips the arms of the chair until his knuckles go white. He raises his voice, unintentionally, and says, "Cut the shit, Sarah. All of the world might be a stage outside this room, but this is real and Bunny is really hurt. This isn't a role for you to play. Try being a human being and you might see why the rest of us like it so much." Sarah jumps to her feet and her voice becomes even more strident, "How dare you minimize my feelings! My boyfriend is lying in this bed because of you. Why don't you just leave us alone." Kotetsu releases his grip on the chair and forcefully springs to his feet, as if jerked up by a pulley system, and exclaims a little too loudly, "I'm his partner. I won't be going anywhere and you might as well get used to it....or you can fuck right off. That's about all you're good at, anyway, right?" At this, Sarah is in the grips of a white-hot fury and is about to unleash a torrent of vitriol on poor Kotetsu when they both hear a weak, "Kotetsu?—" from the hospital bed. 

Sarah has ceased to exist for Kotetsu as he rushes to get Bunny's glasses for him. Sarah notices what he is doing and snatches them from Kotetsu's hand. She shoves them hurriedly toward Barnaby's face and he flinches from the shadows rushing at his eyes. He winces in pain at the sudden movement but gets his glasses perched on his nose finally. He sees Kotetsu come into focus, the worried frown on his face just melts Barnaby's heart. He says to his partner, "Oh, Kotetsu, you're alright. I'm so happy." The joy that now shows on Kotetsu's face seems to infuriate Sarah even more and she pulls on Barnaby's hand and says, "Oh, Darling, I was so worried. I dropped everything and got the limo to bring me straight here as soon as I heard." Barnaby is annoyed at her rough treatment of his aching body and her desperate need for his attention, so he tells her, "Yes, hello, Sarah." If looks could kill, she would need her own adjustable bed because Kotetsu's piercing glare is cutting through her like daggers. He thinks to himself, "If she hurts him one more time, she'll limp out of this fucking hospital."

Sarah is stung by Barnaby's indifference so she goes into a tirade about how his hospitalization has inconvenienced her and tops it all off with a remark about how it should be Kotetsu in the bed. Barnaby didn't have any extra energy to worry about how all this had affected her life, but when she said Kotetsu should be the one hurt, he loses it. He shuts her up with a look and simply says, "Get out, Sarah." When she opens her mouth to protest, he just shuts her down with another, even colder, "Sarah. Leave. Now." She shoots them both a look of contempt before turning on her heel and stomping out of the room, throwing over her shoulder, "Fine. I'll go, but you're going to regret this when you come to your senses." Their relief at her departure is short-lived because that's when they notice the paparazzi had been filming the entire exchange. Kotetsu rushes over and slams the door, almost catching the camera in the process. He turns back to Barnaby to express his apology over what is sure to be a shit storm that he has brought down upon them. His worry is wiped away in an instant when he realizes Barnaby is holding his side and laughing hysterically. He tells Kotetsu between gales of laughter, "Don't make me laugh....it hurts."

Kotetsu is calmed by Bunny's laughter and walks back to his uncomfortable chair. He takes Bunny's hand in both of his and tells him, "You scared the shit out of me." He rests his head on Bunny's shoulder, kind of looking up at him. Barnaby reaches around and pulls Kotetsu even closer, stroking the back of his head as he does. Their tender moment is interrupted by the entrance of Dr. Rafferty, who seems pleased that Barnaby is awake. "Mr. Brooks, I'm happy to see you alert, but I hope you haven't been up to too much activity," he says with a slight jerk of his head back toward the door to indicate he's heard about Sarah's visit.

Barnaby is pleased to see the doctor, too, and immediately starts peppering him with questions about his condition. Kotetsu sees where this is heading and tells Bunny, "Don't you dare think you are getting out of here so you can get back to work." Barnaby plasters on an innocent look and says, "I'm sure Dr. Rafferty here will see reason when he realizes how well I am doing." The doctor interjects, "Oh, I think you'll be needing quite a bit of rest before going back to Hero work. You'll be our guest tonight and we'll talk about when you can go home tomorrow when I come back to see you. After all, you are covered with lacerations and contusions to go along with that fractured leg and nasty bump on the head. We're not going to be rushing into anything without plenty of observation."

Barnaby has a look of total discomfort when he protests, "I can't possibly stay in a hospital for very long. I can understand that I have to be here tonight, but I can rest much better at home. My laptop isn't here, I can't get comfortable in this ridiculous bed, the lights are too bright....." Kotetsu shuts him up with a wave of his hand, "Don't be silly, Bunny. You'll damn well be here as long as the doctor thinks you need to be. We'll get you through it somehow. Stop borrowing trouble and relax!"

Dr. Rafferty explains to Barnaby, "I'm sure we'll be able to come up with some kind of arrangement to get you taken care of at home....at least enough that I'll feel comfortable letting you go, but that's for another day. For now, you just need to relax and get some rest. We'll talk about everything tomorrow." Barnaby starts to panic, "But...but can't we get this settled right now?" Kotetsu simply smiles at the doctor and says, "Thanks for your time, Dr. Rafferty. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow." Dr. Rafferty picks up on Kotetsu's message and makes a quick exit. Kotetsu pats Barnaby on his good leg and tells him, "Bunny, you have to stay here tonight no matter what, so relax. Spend this time resting and thinking about what you'll need to fill the doctor's recommendations so you can get home and I'll start trying to line them up first thing in the morning."

~~~~

Kotetsu walks into Bunny's room bright and early to find the doctor talking to Barnaby over breakfast. Bunny is sitting up, wearing his glasses and eating an omelet. He looks so much better than last night...Kotetsu wants to jump up and down and do a quick cheer, but he controls himself. Dr. Rafferty says, "While you are doing much better, I still don't feel comfortable letting you go home since you live alone. How will you get proper meals three times a day?" Kotetsu chimes in, "I'm going to take care of that, Doc. I'm going to make sure he has three squares a day.....homecooked meals, not that processed junk. I'll have him all healed up in no time. Just wait and see." Barnaby says through a huge grin, "See, Doc, I'll be in good hands. No one can get go against Kotetsu when he has his mind made up. I wouldn't be foolish enough to even try." Dr. Rafferty replies, "Well, OK then, I want you to get two weeks of bed rest and then I'll check on you to see if that's enough." Barnaby starts to protest, "Two whole weeks?—" Kotetsu interrupts Barnaby with, "You heard the Doc, Bunny. Two weeks and that's final!" Barnaby agrees with a humble nod and waits for the doctor to leave so he can put on the clothes Kotetsu brought him. He's ready to get home.

~~~~

Kotetsu is propping Bunny on pillows that he has taken from the top of the closet and says, "Now, Bunny, you need to be good and stay in this bed. I'm going to bring your computer in here and hook it up next to the bed so you can use it anytime." Barnaby laughs and asks Kotetsu, "You sure you can figure out all that technological junk without my help?" Kotetsu gives him the side-eye and replies, "I think I can manage to get it plugged into the wall on my own. I think you're just trying to find an excuse to get out of bed already. Maybe I need to install some security cameras to keep an eye on you if you're going to be this ornery." Barnaby sports a devious grin as he says, "Who are you kidding? Plugging the computer into the wall, maybe......but installing security cameras? NEVER!" They both burst into laughter at that and Barnaby finally has to beg for mercy so Kotetsu will quit making him laugh....it hurts so good.

Kotetsu tells Barnaby, "Let me get your lunch for you and I'll bring in your computer while you're eating. After that, I need to get my but to HeroTV so I can give Ms. Agnes an update." Barnaby gives an exaggerated pout and says, "Ok, if you must leave." Kotetsu shoots him a flirty smile as he turns to go.

~~~~

Ms. Agnes says to Kotetsu, "So, the gist of it is, I better not see Barnaby's ass in this building for the next two weeks." Kotetsu stammers, "Well....yeah, I guess that's it." She replies, "You better take good care of him, Wild....two weeks is about as long as I'm willing to go without Brooks. Even with the sympathy factor, the fans will only tolerate his absence so long." Kotetsu gives her a thumbs up and a big goofy smile as she walks away.

Later that night, Kotetsu brings dinner and eats with Barnaby on his bed. Kotetsu says, "This is fun....it's kind of like having a picnic, if you think about it." Barnaby gives Kotetsu a huge smile and says, "I just love the way you think. It always makes me feel better." Kotetsu lowers his eyes bashfully and tells him, "Well, I don't know about that....I just do what I do." Barnaby lifts Kotetsu's chin and makes him look into his eyes before he answers with, "That's one of the things that makes it so awesome." Kotetsu can't help but be mesmerized by the emerald eyes staring into his soul.

Barnaby turns back to eating his dinner and tells Kotetsu, "This is really delicious. You know how much I appreciate you cooking for me, don't you?" Kotetsu is snapped out of his reverie and realizes that he has been staring and totally forgot his dinner. He tries to cover by putting a big bite hastily into his mouth and then remembers that an answer is required. He has no choice but to answer around a mouthful of food so his muffled response is, "Mmph..Course...mmph". Barnaby smiles to himself, but doesn't turn his head to let Kotetsu in on it.....he doesn't want to embarrass him any further. They chat through the rest of the meal, laughing enough to be a choking hazard at times, and then Kotetsu goes into the kitchen to clean up after dinner.

Kotetsu brings Barnaby a pitcher of water and a glass when he comes back from the kitchen. He says, "This was so much fun. Why haven't we been doing this lately?" It's obvious Kotetsu has been thinking about this while he was washing dishes, but he didn't realize that his question would shine a light on the fact that Sarah had come between them. Barnaby does realize it and he instantly shuts down. He answers with, "Well, I enjoyed it, too, but I imagine you need to get home so you can call Kaede. I don't want to keep you." Kotetsu thinks sarcastically to himself, "Well, I've been dismissed. Apparently we aren't going to talk about this subject tonight," but he says aloud to Barnaby in a cheerful tone, "Yeah, you're right. I'll see you in the morning with breakfast." Barnaby, still not looking at him, says in a somber voice, "Yes, thank you very much for doing this, Kotetsu. I'll see you tomorrow." Kotetsu doesn't want to let him get away with his evasion, but he decides not to push it tonight, thinking to himself, "This isn't the end of this Mr. Brooks, not by a long shot."

End of Chapter 5


	6. Breathless Whisper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the Kudos. Here is the cover I did for this chapter. X3 http://icyroads.deviantart.com/art/Secrets-and-Desires-Chapter-6-636829166

Kotetsu enters Barnaby's house and follows the sound of laughter to his room. Barnaby is sitting up in bed, watching something on his computer. Kotetsu is shocked to hear his own voice coming from the speakers. He gets there just in time to hear himself saying, "Put a cork in it!" Barnaby is laughing his ass off, but Kotetsu is really worried. He can just imagine the choice words he'll hear from Ms. Agnes.

Kotetsu and Barnaby are chatting about the media storm over breakfast. Kotetsu says, apprehensively, "I'm not eager to find out what Ms. Agnes thinks about all this." Barnaby tries to reassure him, "I don't think it'll be that bad. She understands that it was a very stressful situation." Kotetsu says, "I hope you're right...." Barnaby tells him, "I think it was awesome. You need to do things like that more often." Even though Kotetsu is speechless, the redness of his face says it all.

~~~~

The first thing Kotetsu sees upon entering HeroTV is Ms. Agnes with her arms crossed and eyebrows raised, blocking his path. Obviously she didn't want to miss him so she camped out in the lobby and waited for him. She says through gritted teeth, "I hope you've seen the media coverage of your little escapade in the hospital. If not, I'll be happy to enlighten you." Kotetsu cringes and she continues, "I understand how difficult it would be to keep from coming to blows with that fucknuts bitch, but you're a hero....you've got to keep it together. You never know who might be watching." Kotetsu looks up, wide-eyed at the unexpected (but welcomed) lack of a lecture from Ms. Agnes. He tries not to be too eager when he says a quick, "Yes, ma'am." Ms. Agnes turns on her heel and rushes off, leaving Kotetsu standing there with his mouth hanging open.

Antonio says through a snicker, "Cut the shit, Kotetsu!" Kotetsu spins around to see that Antonio is standing there with all the heroes and they are now laughing so hard it's making a scene. 

Blue Rose tells him, "Wow, Ms. Agnes went easy on you....you told Sarah to 'Fuck right off' and she let that go." Kotetsu winces, thinking, "That will be on social media forever....I'll be remembered for telling a woman to fuck off." 

Fire Emblem pats Kotetsu on the shoulder and tells him, "Oh honey, you need to find the humor in all this. It's not like you had it out with a likable personality.....everyone is on your side." 

Antonio says, "Yeah, man. Not only is everyone on your side, but they're all saying that she purposely set you up. Whatever she was up to, it backfired on her and you come out smelling like a rose and looking like a hero."

Kotetsu looks relieved and tells them, "Good. I thought I was really going to be in trouble, but I couldn't think of any way that I could have done it differently in the moment."

~~~~

Kotetsu finds himself checking his watch again. He has really been enjoying the time he's spent taking care of Barnaby for the last few days and is anxious to get to Bunny's house tonight. The moment that the clock hits 5:00, he grabs dinner from the mini-fridge and bolts out the door. When he gets there, he races into Bunny's room to see him flipping and flopping all over the bed. Bunny turns a frustrated look toward Kotetsu and says, "Finally, you're here!" Kotetsu smiles and says, "I got here as fast as I could and I brought dinner!" Bunny laughs and says, "Boy, am I glad you're here. I'm not only starving, I'm bored to tears. I've done everything there is to do while sitting in bed and I am going out of my mind."

Kotetsu brings the plates of food to Bunny and sits to eat with him. Bunny says, through a mouthful, "You know, it has been almost a whole week. Maybe we could get out of the house for a little bit tonight?" Kotetsu lowers his eyes and shakes his head. He hates to disappoint Bunny so he tells him, "Maybe tomorrow, but you have to get the doctor to approve." Bunny is sporting a big grin when he says, "You got it! I'll call the doctor right now." Kotetsu laughs and tells him, "Whoa....hold on. Why don't you wait until morning to call. He might be more inclined to agree if you don't interrupt his dinner tonight." Barnaby laughs and says, "Good thinking, Kotetsu."

~~~~

Kotetsu is trying to juggle breakfast and unlock the door when it opens for him. Barnaby is standing there on his crutches with a huge smile on his face. He says, "Just put that food in the fridge. The doctor agreed....so we're getting out of here and breakfast is on me today." As Kotetsu places the food into Barnaby's fridge, he says with more than a little excitement in his voice, "Alright. What's the plan?" Barnaby tells him, "I say we take my car....you drive....and we see where we end up." Kotetsu tries to hide his enthusiasm, "Wait. You don't have a plan?" Bunny says, "That's right." Kotetsu asks, "And I get to drive?" Barnaby nods. Kotetsu grabs the keys and says, "Let's go!"

Once they pick up breakfast, Kotetsu drives them to a familiar place. They get out of the car and sit on the hood to eat. Barnaby smiles and says, "I remember this place. Didn't I catch you right over there?" Kotetsu, acting coy, says, "Yeah, this is where we first met. You caught me even though I had it totally under control." Barnaby almost chokes on his food laughing at that remark. He tells Kotetsu, "Yeah, sure you had it under control. There was zero chance that you would have splatted all over the ice if I wasn't there to catch you." Kotetsu gives him a little pout and says, "You just jumped in too soon....you didn't give me time to fix it myself." Barnaby asks him playfully, "Oh yeah? What was the big plan?" Kotetsu turns his head to hide a grin and says, "Just shut up." Barnaby says in a flirty tone, "Aw, you know you love me." Kotetsu turns back to face him and says, with mock anger, "Maybe."

When they're getting back in the car, Kotetsu says, "I just love driving this car." Barnaby tells him, "I know somewhere you can really drive it fast." Kotetsu look at Barnaby with eager eyes, "Really?!" Barnaby's eyes light up at Kotetsu's happiness and he tells Kotetsu how to get there. 

~~~~

Barnaby is opening the door for Kotetsu, whose hands are full of hotdogs and drinks. They stopped on the way home to pick up their favorite lunch, but Kotetsu is still gushing over driving Barnaby's car. He's almost yelling, "I can't believe I got it up to a hundred!" Barnaby is laughing along with him, saying, "Maybe I should let you drive more often." They're setting up lunch on the window seat and Kotetsu is helping Barnaby get comfortable. He just can't stop talking about driving Barnaby's car. He says, "I can't believe you get to drive that car every day and you don't even talk about it. If I drove that car, everyone would hear about it all the time. It's just so much fun!" Barnaby laughs, leans in close and flirtily tells him, "If I knew it would make you this happy, I would have let you drive it long ago." Kotetsu can't help but blush, but he smiles and meets Barnaby's eyes anyway.

After lunch, Kotetsu talks about how much fun this has been. He tells Bunny, "We need to do this again next weekend." Barnaby, realizing he can't make any promises, says to Kotetsu, "Yeah, maybe....we'll have to see. It's been calm around here, but it will get crazy busy before long." Kotetsu is stung by the sudden chill from Bunny, "Sarah?" Barnaby won't make eye contact. Kotetsu says, "I thought you were through with her." Barnaby refuses to face Kotetsu, still.

Kotetsu says, with a serious expression, "I think we need to talk about this Sarah situation. You won't talk about it, but I know something is wrong here." Barnaby jumps up, almost falling over, and grabs his crutches. He starts hobbling to the door, trying to usher Kotetsu out, saying, "Well, I really enjoyed this, but I'm sure you need to get home and call Kaede. No need to worry about supper, I'll order pizza. Thanks so much for your help."

Kotetsu is angry now. He tells Bunny, "NO. We are not doing this. You can't just keep avoiding the issue." Barnaby actually snaps back, "Watch me!" Kotetsu jerks his head back in shock. He doesn't know what to say. Barnaby calms down a little bit and says, more calmly, "Please, just go, Kotetsu."

Kotetsu is struggling to find a response, but he feels like he is forgetting something important. Barnaby grabs his arm and starts leading him to the door. Kotetsu wants to struggle, but Barnaby is on crutches and he doesn't want to hurt him. When they reach the door and Kotetsu is on his way out, he says, "Bunny, wait—", but Barnaby seems exhausted when he says, "Goodbye, Kotetsu" and shuts the door on him. Kotetsu stares dejectedly at the door to Bunny's apartment. Finally, he walks off.

~~~~

It's the next day, and Kotetsu is sitting outside in his car in the HeroTV parking lot. He was still thinking about Bunny ignoring him and pretending to sleep this morning when he took him breakfast. "I tried to get him to look at me, but he just wouldn't so I put his food in the fridge....Why is he acting like this? I just don't know what to do...."

As Kotetsu is walking into HeroTV, he debates on what to do about Barnaby. He knows how stubborn Bunny can be, but he also knows he has to get him talking. How? Kotetsu stops, hearing the other Heroes talking in the break room. They were getting coffee and chatting and he could hear the happy chatter from the group. Normally, Kotetsu would have not only joined them, but probably would have been one of the loudest amongst them. He wasn't feeling it today, though, so he continued on to his office....

~~~~

"Bunny!?" Kotetsu says, apprehensively, making his way to Barnaby's room. He's still reeling about this morning and hoping that it will be different now. Peeking in, he squints, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the dark room. It was hard to tell at first in the pitch black, but he could just make out the faint silhouette of Barnaby in his bed. Tired by the long day, and having enough of this silliness, he turns on the lights and says in a stern voice, "Enough is enough, Bunny. I think I deserve an explanation. What the hell is going on here?!" He waits for a response from the motionless lump under the covers, but there was nothing but quiet breathing coming from Bunny. It was obvious he was awake, but Bunny wouldn't give up the ghost. He didn't move an inch, even when Kotetsu touched his arm and gently pushed on it. "Bunny?..." Kotetsu says, trying to keep his tone stern, but it comes out more exhausted than anything. Kotetsu becomes furious from the lack of response and stands up forcefully and suddenly. The anger in his voice could be heard very clearly. "That's it! Be that way! I've had enough of this. If you want to act like a child, then you can act like one by yourself. I'll just put your food in the fridge and not bother you again!" With that, Kotetsu turns and stomps out, not looking back. When Kotetsu leaves, the slam of the door could be heard by all the neighbors. 

Barnaby, rolling onto his back, gives a loud sigh and stares at where Kotetsu had been standing. With a forlorn and quiet tone in his voice, he says, as if he was talking to Kotetsu, "I'm so sorry, Kotetsu. I would tell you if I could....."

~~~~

Kotetsu had been doing what he said he would do. As a result, he hadn't seen Barnaby in a couple of days. He just couldn't understand what Bunny was thinking....I mean, he's going to be coming back to HeroTV eventually. How does he expect them to work together if they can't even talk? Kotetsu thinks, "He's managed to stay in that bedroom of his and not even tried to come out and say hello...." Kotetsu, didn't know if he was more furious at Bunny or Sarah. Could it be that Kaede was right about the little head making the decisions? "No, I just can't see that with him. After all, he's so reserved....Maybe....just maybe he really likes her....no, that can't be it ether." 

Kotetsu is pulled out of his thoughts by the elevator ding, so he walks through the parting doors to Barnaby's apartment. As he types in the code to unlock the door and open it, he hears loud noises from the direction of Bunny's bedroom. Unsure what it means or what to do, he decides to go directly to the kitchen and just put the food away. Before he could get there, a woman comes out of Bunny's room in a rush, hitting Kotetsu and almost knocking him over. He drops the food on the ground and uses the wall to catch himself. He spins his head around to see who had blustered into him and that person was also turning to look at him. To his horror, he sees that it's Sarah, who lets out a huff of air in irritation when she realizes who she's bumped into. Spinning on her heel and flipping her hair in his face, she makes a show of her dramatic exit.

Kotetsu, unamused by her pissy attitude and having her hair flipped in his face, stands there with an aggravated expression, watching her slam the door in her wake. He then jumps as he hears Barnaby scream, "YOU BITCH!" 

Kotetsu, stunned, looks behind him, hearing rustling noises coming from the room. Nervously, he slowly and quietly makes his way to the open door. He's shocked at the disarray that greets him. Drawers are pulled all the way out or slightly open with clothes and all kinds of stuff scattered on the floor. Kotetsu puts his hand in front of his mouth and just stares at the chaos that used to be Barnaby's organized bedroom. Noticing movement, he looks into the corner and sees Barnaby standing there without his crutches. Their eyes meet and Kotetsu could sense the uncontrollable fury emanating from Bunny, but the moment Barnaby sees Kotetsu he calms down and gets a grip on himself. 

"What the hell happened here?" Kotetsu says, furrowing his brow in serious worry. Barnaby now realizes that it isn't his imagination, Kotetsu is really here. He then jumps over some stuff on one leg and gets to Kotetsu in record time, even though he was working under a handicap. "Kotetsu, what are you doing here?...Oh, right! Is it that time already? Thanks for the food but I need you to go," Barnaby says, trying not to show how frantic he felt.

Speechless, Kotetsu looks at the blond man wide-eyed. He couldn't believe what Bunny just did. Should he be doing that? "Kotetsu? did you hear me?" Barnaby says, waving his hand. 

"Huh?! Oh yeah, I did. You shouldn't be doing that, where are your crutches? Why is your room like this? Why are you rushing me out the door? What did Sarah—" The astonished Kotetsu is trying to ask, but Barnaby cuts him off by grabbing Kotetsu's upper arm and leading him out. Kotetsu tries to pull away, but Barnaby holds on tight. Kotetsu notices Barnaby wincing at the sudden movement. "Bunny, WAIT!" He tries to yell, but Barnaby didn't wait. Kotetsu is out the door and it closes behind him before he even knows what's happening.

Kotetsu turns back to the door, banging on it. "Bunny! Bunny!" he yells until his voice is hoarse and his hand is sore. Kotetsu presses his forehead to the door and stands there with his eyes closed, not sure what to do. "Please open the door, Bunny...." he pleads, but there is no answer. Finally, a dejected Kotetsu turns and walks off slowly, his eyes on the ground.

Barnaby's forehead is leaning against the door on the other side. It's obvious from the look on his face, how deeply he feels the pain of sending Kotetsu away. He's gripping the door frame with one hand and his other is almost ripping his shirt over his heart. He has his eyes squinted tightly against the pain as he says through gritted teeth, "I'm so sorry, Kotetsu. I want to tell you. I really do...."

~~~~

Kotetsu, hadn't been back to Bunny's apartment in several days. After the last time of being kicked out, he decided that he couldn't take Barnaby running him out like that so he just stayed away completely. Sitting there frustrated and fighting back the tears, he puts his fingers through his hair, and then leans his head on the back of the couch. "Why is he doing this?...." Suddenly his home phone starts to ring. He sees it's Kaede which immediately lifts his spirits, so he jumps to answer. He says, "Hey, Honey, how are you? Did you have fun at that sleepover?" Kaede, beaming, says, "Oh yeah, I did. It was so much fun....but I'm not looking forward to school tomorrow." Kotetsu, giving a bit of a laugh, says," I know what you mean, Honey." 

Kaede, hearing the distress in her Dad's voice, is now getting really worried. She asks him, "Dad, are you ok? You've been down lately and you seem to be feeling worse. Is everything with you and Barnaby good?" 

Kotetsu can't hide his shock at his daughter's intuition.....it's like she can read his mind. He tries to reassure her, "Oh yeah, it's all good, Honey. No need to be worried," but he could see she's not buying it. 

"Dad....Come on, you know I know you better than that." Kaede says, giving him a look. Kotetsu turns his head away from her. He just didn't know what to say. "Listen, Dad, just go talk to him—" 

Kotetsu cuts her off, saying, "—But sweetie, I've already done that and he pushes me away every time." 

Kaede, gives him a soft smile to get her Dad's attention. She says, quietly, "Dad, I don't know what is going on, but you know that Barnaby is just as stubborn as you are. You just need to keep trying until you get the answers." 

Kotetsu turns back to look at his daughter. She's right. Bunny has never just offered information freely......especially if he felt like he was protecting Kotetsu. WAIT! PROTECTING.....Could it be that Bunny is trying to protect him? 

"Kaede, you're right! I'm going to go talk to him now." Kaede's smile gets bigger as she says, "That's the spirit, Dad. Bye....and good luck." 

Kotetsu returns her big smile and says, "Thank you, Tiger Monkey, I needed to hear this. Bye. Love you. 

Kaede, giggling, says, "Love you too, Dad." After they end the phone, Kotetsu jumps into his clothes, quickly making his way out the door to Bunny's house.

~~~~

Kotetsu decides not to knock. If Sarah's there, oh well, he has questions for her, too. When he gets the door open, he sees an empty room. Kotetsu walks over to the only furniture in the place and looks around for Bunny. Could it be that Bunny was out? A ring echoes through the room and freaks out Kotetsu. Spinning around, he sees Barnaby's cell phone on the table next to his laptop. He can see that it's Sarah, so obviously she's not here. Kotetsu lets out a sigh of relief....despite his bravado when entering Bunny's house, he really wanted to talk with Barnaby alone. 

"Wait, if his phone is here that means he's here," Kotetsu thinks, as he watches it ring. Then it dawns on him that he has rushed over here with no plan whatsoever. How does he expect to get Bunny to talk? Barnaby's phone then made the voicemail notification sound, getting Kotetsu's attention again. He looks down at the phone and thinks, "Well.....It's not like I'm going to get it from him....No, that's eavesdropping! I came here to talk...." Against his better judgment, he picks up the phone and dials in the code to listen to the message.

"You stupid son-of-a-bitch, we're over!! You hear me?!" Sarah slurs over the phone. "Hunh, good riddance," Kotetsu mutters. Sarah's tirade continues...."Who do you think you are?....Who do you think you're messing with?!!" Sarah says, almost indiscernible.

Kotetsu, now feeling like a snoop, is starting to regret this decision and is about to put the phone down when he hears something that stops him in his tracks. Sarah spits out, "Don't forget, I know about Tiger's little Tiger-cub. What was her name? Oh yeah, wasn't it Kaede?" The venom in her voice stuns Kotetsu so he is surprised when the phone goes back to the menu, asking him if he wants to listen to the message again.

"Kotetsu!?!" Barnaby says in shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Kotetsu turns around to look at Barnaby with a face that is unreadable. "Kotetsu, what are you doing— Wait is that my phone?" Barnaby says, trying not to freak out or jump to conclusions. But Kotetsu says what he was fearing, "TIGER-CUB?! What the hell is going on?!" The rage in Kotetsu's voice is making it quiver. 

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON! WHY DOES THAT UNSTABLE BITCH KNOW ABOUT MY DAUGHTER?!" Kotetsu yells with an uncontrollable white-hot fury in his eyes. 

Barnaby, now horrified, starts trying to calm Kotetsu down. "I'm so sorry, Kotetsu. I wanted to tell you, but she said if I told you she would tell everyone. Plus, I knew this would be your reaction. I was only trying to protect you and Kaede. I swear, I wanted to tell you. I really did." Barnaby couldn't tell what was going through Kotetsu's mind. He still had the same unreadable face. 

"I'm going to kill her!" Kotetsu yells without thinking. 

Barnaby leaps over the step down to get to Kotetsu and puts both of his arms out away from his body. He gets in front of Kotetsu and yells so the dark-haired man can hear him through his fury. Looking directly into Kotetsu's eyes, he says, "NO! You can't do that! If she dies, the whole entire world will know about Kaede! She has made arrangements to leak the information in the case of her death. Don't you think I would have already looked into that? Trust me, I considered killing her, too! I tried to get her off my back! I have literally done EVERYTHING I can! There is no way out of this but to do what she says!" 

Kotetsu stops trying to get past, and turns an angry look at him. There were tears in Kotetsu's eyes. Barnaby was not going to make the mistake of seeing that as weakness. He knew that meant Kotetsu might not have heard him. "But she said it was over in the message!" Kotetsu yells at him. 

Barnaby's voice quivers with frustration, "I know, but tomorrow she won't remember what she said and she'll come running back to me. She loves to torture and scare me, but I guarantee she will call me or come here to get back with me." Barnaby is talking in a calm and soothing voice now that he knows Kotetsu is listening to him. 

Kotetsu looks down, and while his body is trembling he asks, "How did she find out about my Tiger Monkey?....HOW!?" Kotetsu tries to stay calm, but he's not very successful. 

Barnaby tells him, "I don't know, I really don't. I've been trying to figure that out." He wants to hold Kotetsu, but he knows not to do anything to upset the delicate balance that he's finally obtained. 

"Why haven't you gone to HeroTV about—" Kotetsu tries to say, still looking down, but Barnaby gently cuts him off. "—because I looked into whether this had happened before and it has. This guy had a girlfriend find out that he was a Hero and used it to blackmail him. When he finally went to HeroTV, his girlfriend retaliated by letting his identity out. Criminals with a grudge found and killed his ex-wife and, from what I understand, his ex-in-laws blamed him for it. As a result, his kids believed it was his fault so he killed himself over it." 

Kotetsu jerks his head up and looks at Barnaby with alarm. He's listening intently to everything Bunny says to him now. Barnaby continues, with a strained expression, "I just couldn't risk something like that happening to you. Kaede is everything to you. I don't want you or her to get hurt."

Kotetsu, now feeling like all the air has been sucked out of the room, falls back into Barnaby's chair behind him. He leans forward, covering his face with his hands and using his knees to prop himself up. His plaintive question is muffled because of his hands, "Why did she go to you, and not me? I don't get it. Why do you have to suffer because of me?" 

Barnaby's eyes go wide and he says, "I don't know, but I'm glad she picked me." Kotetsu looks up at him, awestruck, "What?! But this isn't your daughter. It's my problem, not yours. You shouldn't have to deal with—" 

Barnaby gently cuts him off. "I don't care, I'll protect you. And I believe if she had gone to you, it would have ended horribly, so I'm happy that she came to me." 

Kotetsu shocked, says, "So, you would rather be the one caged....No, that can't be, you just started living and now you're being forced back into a prison." 

Barnaby shakes his head and says, "I'm not—" but Kotetsu snaps at him and cuts him off. He yells, "Yes you are!" Barnaby says, a little too loud, "I don't feel that way—"

Kotetsu stops him and asks, "Why? How can you not?" Barnaby yells back to him stridently, "Because I love you!" 

Both men stand there speechless. Barnaby hadn't intended to reveal that to Kotetsu. He had wanted to keep that secret desire to himself. "You. Love. Me?" Kotetsu asks in disbelief. 

"Yes, I love you...with.all.my.heart," Barnaby says, obviously red, in a hoarse whisper. Silence filled the room again and Barnaby didn't know what to do next. For the first time in his life he wasn't sure where to go from here.

Kotetsu suddenly rises to his feet to grab the front of Barnaby's shirt and standing on his tiptoes, kisses him. Barnaby goes wide-eyed at what he is seeing and feeling....Kotetsu's lips finally against his. It didn't take him long to get his senses back, wrap his arms around Kotetsu and hold on tight. Barnaby deepened the kiss, sliding his hands down to Kotetsu's hips. Kotetsu moves his arms around Barnaby's neck, enjoying the warmth and softness of Barnaby's lips. Kotetsu lose himself to their embrace. 

Barnaby places his left hand in the middle of Kotetsu's lower back, and slides his other hand down to pull Kotetsu's leg up against his side. Barnaby could feel him shudder from his touch. He couldn't help but to smile in the passionate moment. He had been craving this, and now he had Kotetsu in his arms. As the excitement started to well up inside him, he lifted Kotetsu up and Kotetsu took that opportunity to wrap his legs tightly around Barnaby. Kotetsu holds onto Bunny's shoulders so tightly that the fabric of Bunny's shirt threatens to tear under his grip.

Barnaby makes his way to the bedroom. He uses one hand to hold Kotetsu and the other to feel the way to his bed. He lays Kotetsu down and in one fluid motion he gets off Kotetsu's dress shoes. He then trails up Kotetsu's legs and stops right at his upper thighs. Kotetsu quivering, makes a small noise into the kiss, which both reluctantly break from, gasping for air. 

Kotetsu, blushing incredibly red, watches Barnaby's hands moving up his chest, taking his vest off slowly. He could feel the warming and the tingling sensation through his entire body and was shocked that he was getting hard just from Barnaby's touch. Kotetsu realized his heart was racing so he bit his bottom lip to hold back a moan....he was unsuccessful. 

Barnaby places his hand on Kotetsu's cheek so he would look up at him. When Kotetsu's eyes meet his, he can clearly see the desire in them. Raising Kotetsu's chin, Barnaby slides his lips on Kotetsu's and starts to passionately kiss him, asking with his tongue for entry to Kotetsu's mouth. Kotetsu happily obliges and moves his hands from the bed sheets he had been gripping, back to Barnaby's shoulders. Barnaby, getting between Kotetsu's legs, glides his hands back onto Kotetsu's hips and starts to grind on him. 

Kotetsu, gasping, slides his tongue away and turns his head, breaking from the heated kiss. He covers his mouth to muffle the sound he's about to make because of Barnaby's intense grinding. "Ahhhh," still could be heard, even though he's trying to keep it quiet. Barnaby was now kissing his cheek and whispering with his lips grazing Kotetsu's face, "Please don't cover your mouth....I want to hear your voice...." Sounding out of breath, he moves Kotetsu's hand away from his mouth and puts it back on his shoulder. Kotetsu, biting back onto his bottom lip, starts to curve into Barnaby's body, holding onto him with all his might. Barnaby untucks Kotetsu's shirt from his pants and slips his hands onto Kotetsu's bare skin, moving upward. Kotetsu lets a sound slip and grabs the back of Barnaby's upper arms. Bunny's hands felt so good against his skin that he couldn't help but let a quiet "Bunny" escape from his lips. 

Barnaby's charming smile takes over his face as he grips onto Kotetsu's upper chest, with his thumbs stopped right underneath his pects. Kotetsu, trembling, gasps when Barnaby puts his lips on Kotetsu's collar bone and starts to kiss down his muscled body. Once he gets to Kotetsu's pants, he opens them with his teeth, pulling out his dick and kissing the tip of it. He teases Kotetsu, using his hands and mouth and following the length of his dick with his tongue.

Kotetsu, gasping, looks down to see the need in Barnaby's eyes. It makes Kotetsu's heart skip a beat. He wants to turn away from Barnaby's ravenous look, but it keeps him so enthralled that he entangles his fingers in Barnaby's hair. With his other hand, he grasps the pillow under his head for dear life. Right as he thought it couldn't get any better, Barnaby slides Kotetsu's dick into his mouth and sucks the tip, moving down and then back up in a painfully slow manner that has Kotetsu throwing his head backwards. Kotetsu can no longer control himself and he lets out a begging moan. He wants Barnaby to go faster, but he just can't put it into words. All he can say is, "Ahhh.." 

Barnaby knows Kotetsu wants it to be faster, but he likes the way Kotetsu moves and trembles in his grip. Barnaby wraps his arms around Kotetsu's upper thighs and continues to tease him with the slow motion. He uses his tongue to get a response from Kotetsu, who cannot help but to breathe out "Bunny" with his moans. 

Kotetsu is reaching his limit quickly, but he doesn't know if he can remember how to talk. Barnaby has scrambled his brain and he just can't find the words he's looking for. "B-u-n-n-y....I.....C....," Kotetsu says, desperate to tell Barnaby what was going to happen, but he just couldn't. Kotetsu pushes on Barnaby's head, but all it did was make his fingers intertwined into Barnaby's soft hair more. "Bunnny!" Kotetsu gasps, in one last-ditch effort. He gives up on trying to talk and grips onto Barnaby's hand that was holding tight to his leg. When Barnaby entwines their fingers together, Kotetsu looks down and blushes as he realizes Barnaby has been looking up at him the entire time. "Bunnyyy..." he says, holding Barnaby's head and squeezing the hand that was tangled with his. Suddenly Kotetsu bites his lip and tenses his whole body, curving it upwards and grabbing the sheets with his toes as he cums. The tension leaves and Kotetsu falls flat, panting. 

He has finally found his voice now and he says, urgently, "Bunny, oh my, I'm so sorry—" but Barnaby quiets him by putting his finger on Kotetsu's lips, and moving up until their faces are almost touching.

"Shh, it's fine. Don't you realize that I thought there was a possibility that you might cum.....after all, that's what I was going for," Barnaby says, licking his lips with a devilish grin. Kotetsu, blushing even darker then before, feels his heart wanting to pound out of his chest. He watches as Bunny brings their tangled hands to his face so he can press his lips to the back of Kotetsu hand. The tenderness makes Kotetsu smile and he gently pulls Bunny's face toward his with the hand that is entwined in Bunny's soft hair. He says in a breathless whisper, "Barnaby....kiss me."

Barnaby is shocked to hear his name from Kotetsu. He loves it when he calls him Bunny, but when Kotetsu says "Barnaby", it's even harder to keep from kissing him. "Wait," he thinks, Kotetsu just told me to kiss him. Barnaby looks up from kissing Kotetsu's hand, and sees the pleading look in his eyes. 

Barnaby uses both hands to hold Kotetsu's face, feeling Kotetsu's hair between his fingers. Barnaby lays him back down and turns his head slightly, placing his lips on Kotetsu's. Licking his bottom lip and moving into Kotetsu's mouth, Barnaby feels Kotetsu's hands move to the middle of his back, his feet gliding up the back of Barnaby's legs. That was it. Barnaby had reached his limit. He wants in Kotetsu right now. He moves his hands purposefully down Kotetsu's chest to his pants, pushing them down. He slides his hand to Kotetsu's butt, groping him. 

Kotetsu moans into the kiss, moving his hands under Barnaby's shirt, gliding up to his shoulder blades. He's trying to stay calm, but it's getting harder and harder to do that. It's almost impossible when Barnaby suddenly pulls away from the kiss and puts his fingers into Kotetsu's mouth. To calm his racing heart and burning cheeks, Kotetsu closes his eyes and concentrates on sucking Barnaby's fingers as Bunny moves them in and out. "How can he be so cool?..." Kotetsu thinks, feeling the tingling sensation that comes along with the return of his erection. When he opens his eyes the first thing he sees is the serene smile on Barnaby's face as he utters, "Kotetsu, I love you."

Kotetsu's eyes go wide. 

Barnaby pulls his fingers out of Kotetsu's mouth and slides them down his body, massaging Kotetsu's ass. With Kotetsu's legs wrapped around his upper body, it's easier to put two of his fingers slowly inside. He could hear Kotetsu's panting moans while gripping onto his back tightly. "I love you so much, Kotetsu," Barnaby says, staring deep into Kotetsu's sweet honey eyes. 

Kotetsu seems to have lost the ability to talk again. How could he with Barnaby massaging him? It felt so good. Kotetsu hadn't been sure this would feel so good, but, oh, it did. In fact, if Barnaby keeps this up, Kotetsu is sure he is going to cum again from just his fingers. 

Kotetsu was just not able to say those three little words back to Bunny, but Barnaby's unwavering stare, plus his sweet words, had Kotetsu wanting to. All he could say was, "Barnaby..." His head was spinning from the pleasure and desire....he wanted....he wanted....now he knew what he been wanting from Barnaby. It was him. He wanted Barnaby. How could he not have noticed? He been basically spelling it out to himself all this time. 

"Barnaby...." Kotetsu gasps, and as if Barnaby knew what he wanted, he pulled out his fingers. Kotetsu couldn't be sure, but from the faint noise that he could barely discern, he guessed Barnaby was unzipping his pants. He was more sure when he felt Barnaby's tip at his entrance. "Please, please, put it in," Kotetsu pleaded in his head, squeezing his eyes shut. 

Barnaby just couldn't take it anymore....he needed Kotetsu now. As he makes his way inside, Kotetsu gasps, shooting his eyes open, and gripping tightly onto his back again, trying to curve his body into Barnaby. 

"Barnaby!" Kotetsu screams, feeling it go in. He's panting even harder than before. "It hurts...." Kotetsu thinks, tears filling his eyes. Barnaby slides his hands onto Kotetsu's face. 

"Kotetsu!? Are you ok? Do I need to Sto—" Barnaby was saying with a worried look, but Kotetsu shakes his head quickly and manages to say through his gasping moans, "No....I'm....Fine."

Barnaby's eyes go wide, and then soften. He props himself up carefully over Kotetsu with both arms on either side of Kotetsu's face. "I see, just tell me what you need. Do you want me to let you get used to it?" Kotetsu looks at him, unsure. "Or do you want me to move?" Barnaby says, moving suddenly. Kotetsu gasps and moans with tears falling down. 

"Sorry, was that too sudden?" Barnaby asks, worried, wiping away his tears with both thumbs. Kotetsu shakes his head, saying, "No, do it again, and don't stop." Kotetsu is panting and his face is blood red. Barnaby doesn't say another word, instead he smiles, slowly grinding on Kotetsu and kissing him.

Kotetsu moves his hands down to Barnaby's hips and Barnaby automatically switches gears to allow Kotetsu to control the speed of the grind. It didn't take long for pleasure to far outpace pain. Soon Kotetsu's moans were filling the room. The passion that they're both feeling is getting too intense. 

Barnaby takes Kotetsu's pants all the way off. He also removes Kotetsu's tie and unbuttons his shirt. Moving his hands to Kotetsu's upper chest, Barnaby pulls away from the kiss and starts to go faster, Kotetsu urging him on. Kotetsu was looking up at him with such a sexy expression, that Barnaby was losing all his self-control. He just couldn't take it....Kotetsu was too sexy, with his button-down shirt hanging off one shoulder and his hair all messy. 

Barnaby's using Kotetsu's legs as leverage to hump him harder and faster while Kotetsu gasps out louder to his fast movement. Kotetsu, gripping Barnaby's shirt, exclaims, "Get that damn shirt off!" 

Barnaby smiles, yanking it off and leaning forward, slides his lips against Kotetsu's neck and starts kissing, licking, and sucking. Kotetsu throws his head back, letting out a passionate, "Barnaby". He leans his hips into Barnaby who is now kissing Kotetsu's body as well as his neck. 

Both of them close to cumming, they get more out of control. Kotetsu's fingers are gripping onto Barnaby's shoulder blades again. "I can't....I'm going to...." Kotetsu thinks, not realizing that he's drooling. He suddenly licks the bottom of Barnaby's neck all the way up to the tip of his chin. 

Barnaby's shocked, "Oh man....that was so fucking cute!" he thinks, drooling a little himself. He then lays down on Kotetsu, holding his legs down on his body. "Kotetsu, I love you. You're so fucking adorable and sexy. I just can't wait anymore. I want to cum inside of you. Can I please?" Barnaby asks through breathless moans. He was pleading, and licking Kotetsu's beard. 

"Barnaby!" Kotetsu says, through his own breathless moans. "I'm at my limit too.... I feel like I'm going to cum...." Kotetsu says, but couldn't finish. Barnaby gets close to his face. "Is that a yes?" he says to Kotetsu with a devious smile. 

"Yes..." Kotetsu could barely get out. The intense stare Barnaby was giving Kotetsu was making him more red then he was before, but he couldn't help but to smile with Barnaby. Kotetsu's smile was a soft one that gives Barnaby chills, which causes him to speed up. Kotetsu grabs Barnaby's shoulders even tighter with his legs still underneath Barnaby's body. They both had reach their climax, and hold on tight to each other, cumming together.

"Barnaby!" Kotetsu yells, accidentally scratching his back. "Kotetsu!" Barnaby yells, with Kotetsu, not really noticing Kotetsu scratching him. "It's hot....so hot!" Kotetsu says, throwing his head back and gasping. It was all so hot. He's seeing white and all he can smell is the wonderful scent of Barnaby. Vanilla....

Barnaby then kisses Kotetsu, holding his face, and tasting every bit of the inside of his mouth. When they break from the passionate kiss, Kotetsu is now seeing black.

Barnaby smiles, saying. "Looks like we came together." Kotetsu smiles tiredly. Barnaby can see that his partner is exhausted and his smile gets even softer as he says, "Good night, Kotetsu, my love." He then kisses Kotetsu's forehead. 

Kotetsu smiles, trying to say good night back, but he fell asleep hugging Barnaby instead, wishing that this night would never end.

End of chapter 6


	7. Unmask the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the Kudos and sorry it took so long. But without further ado here is the next chapter. XD

Lips that taste like vanilla, soft skin that is so smooth, and warm bodies that burn pressed together. A scent that is as good as the taste, desire that fills you with hot passion and makes your head spin and everything go fuzzy. Why could that sweet intensity not last forever....

~~~~

Kotetsu, slowly waking up, snuggles deeper into the warm embrace and thinks, "Mmmm, vanilla. I'm getting addicted to this smell." 

Kotetsu suddenly remembers Barnaby's confession from the night before and then THE KISS. He kissed Barnaby....WAIT!? He had kissed....Kotetsu opens his eyes to see Bunny's sleeping face. He almost jumps in shock, but stops himself. Calming down, he just stares at the beautiful person in front of him. Kotetsu can't help himself, he puts his hand in Barnaby's hair, feeling the soft strands between his fingers. It's so silky and golden, it shimmers in the morning light. 

Barnaby was sleeping so soundly that Kotetsu didn't want to wake him. He smiles at Bunny. It did his heart good seeing Barnaby happily snoozing away. Kotetsu knew that he had hard nights with his night terrors. 

Barnaby, with his eyes still closed, suddenly smiles so that Kotetsu wonders for a second if he has awakened him, but Bunny is clearly asleep when he mumbles, "mmm....hmm.....sweet honey eyes...." and then chuckles in a deep throaty way Kotetsu's never heard from him. Kotetsu's eyes go wide and he turns bright red. 

Kotetsu can feel Bunny's arms tighten around him and it occurs to him that all he's wearing is his green button-down shirt. Blushing profusely, Kotetsu nevertheless peeks under the covers to see his bare legs entwined with Bunny's clothed ones. He looks back up to Barnaby's smiling face and tries to make out exactly what he's saying. All Kotetsu knows for sure is that Bunny is happy and obviously talking about him. It's so embarrassing, but cute....Aww, who's he kidding?! He finds it fucking adorable. His soft smiled returns.

Kotetsu, seeing that Bunny still has his glasses on, chuckles and gently takes them off, placing them down where Barnaby always puts them. Resisting the urge to kiss him, Kotetsu relaxes back into Bunny's arms and places his hand in Bunny's hair.

He's deliriously happy, but unsure how he's going to talk to Barnaby. They had sex....He had sex with his male partner and enjoyed it so much, but he knows he should've never done it. Kotetsu, realizing that he doesn't care, thinks, "I don't regret it for a moment. I wanted him so bad....So....bad...." He can feel the desire building in him again.

Kotetsu's smile suddenly sours when he realizes that he can't be here, when or if, Sarah shows up. How in the world is he going to deal with this blackmail thing without killing her? This is going to take some serious thought and he can't risk running into her until he has a game plan. With that, he quickly and quietly slips out of Barnaby's arms and starts grabbing his clothes. 

As he stands up, he thinks, "Man, why is my backside so sore?...Oh wait, I think I know the answer to that question...." Kotetsu shakes his head at the thought, but continues looking for his underwear. He comes up empty. Knowing that time is not on his side, he gets dressed with the clothes he did find, and make his way out the door, making sure to not be too loud.

~~~~

Warm lips, a sweet taste, and a scent that smells so good.....chocolate. Tan skin, a great voice calling out my name...Say my name louder....hold me tighter....drive me nuts with that smile that brightens the room like the sun does in the morning. Make my heart pound with your fingers in my hair. I want your sweetness. Why could that hot passion not last forever....

~~~~

"Huh? Is it morning already?" Barnaby thinks, opening his eyes to see blurry shadows. The light shining on his face makes him squint. As he hides himself from the brightness, he realizes that he is now alone in his bed. Sitting up and looking around, he calls out, "Kotetsu!?" Running his fingers through his messy hair, he quickly starts to look for his glasses. "Shit, shit, shit....He's not here, is he?" Once he finds his glasses he jumps out of bed and runs to the bathroom....no luck. He makes his way to the next place he thinks Kotetsu would be. 

Once entering the kitchen, he can see that there is no Kotetsu, but he did find a note from him. Barnaby puts his hand on the countertop and leans over with his other hand back in his hair to read the note that Kotetsu had left.

Hey, Bunny.

I made you something to eat.   
It's not much since you usually don't have anything in your fridge.   
Oh, and don't worry...I won't kill Sarah. 

Kotetsu.

"Damn, he left. I need to get ready and go find him, quick." Barnaby thinks as he crumples up the letter, running to clean up and get dressed. Right as he is fully dressed and starting to brush his teeth, he hears a loud, relentless knocking. "Who could that be?" he wonders, aggravated, making his way to the door.

When he opens it, he can see Sarah, standing there in all her glory. "Sarah?!" Barnaby exclaims, around a mouthful of toothpaste. 

"OH, darling." she says, walking past him, not even waiting to be invited in. 

"Ok then, just come right on in." he mutters angrily to himself. "Huh, did you say something?" Sarah asks, turning to look at him with fake curiosity. 

"Not a word." Barnaby says, with sarcasm in his voice, as he turns to go to finish brushing his teeth. 

Sarah follows him all the way there, and promptly sits on the bed where she can watch him. Leaning back slightly, propping herself up with her arms, she crosses her legs seductively.

Barnaby, trying not to show his relief, takes a moment to thank his lucky stars for deciding to clean up before getting into the shower. "So, why are you here Sarah?" he enquires, hiding the fact that he's panicking a little. 

"Oh, just to tell you to ignore that message on your phone, and if I said we're over...well, obviously we're NOT," Sarah says, looking at her nails and making a show of not caring. 

"Obviously...." Barnaby says, with a hint of irritation revealed by his tone. She then looks up at him with an unreadable face. "I'm surprised that you're not already dressed. You're usually on your way to work by now. Sleep late?" Sarah probes, with real curiosity now. The smile on her face makes Barnaby's blood run cold.

"Nope, just went out for breakfast and came home to brush my teeth," He says casually, being careful to make steady eye contact.

"Oh, ok..." she agrees, uncertainly. "Hey, why does it smell like chocolate in here?" Sarah asks, looking around and sniffing the air.

Barnaby snaps up at that remark and stares at her with pure bewilderment. Luckily, Sarah didn't see him standing there with toothpaste dripping out of his slack jaw. Getting his composure, he quickly finishes and rinses out his mouth before she focuses her attention back to him. 

"Well?" Sarah demands, with an impatient tone. 

"I don't know, you tell me," Barnaby says, with a forced expression of indifference. Sarah, buying his act, accidentally reveals her anger at his stubborn refusal to adore her. Turning her head away from him she yells, pissy and loud, "Why does it smell like that partner of yours?!"

Barnaby is barely keeping it together, but he manages to appear aloof when he says, "I. Don't. Know. You. Tell. Me." 

Sarah jerks herself upright with rage and stomps over to Barnaby. Putting her finger in his face, she spits venom at him, "Oh, you think you're so smart with your full-of-yourself bullshit, but, I have news for you, Buddy! You're nothing but a pretty, rich boy who thinks he can get away with anything! You may be a Hero, but that doesn't mean you're not a monster underneath that princely perfect attitude! I can see right through that mask of yours!"

Barnaby stares forward with a look of apathy as she screams bile at him. After her tirade, she glares at him with her cheeks inflamed, but his facial expression evolves into an unmistakably cold smile. 

"Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. If that's so, then what does that say about you, the girlfriend of a monster?" Barnaby says in a quiet, smooth and dark tone. His smile gives her chills and makes her take a stumbling step back. She is at a loss for words, which obviously makes her angrier than ever. 

"Oh my dear, I think it's time for you to go," Barnaby says, still in that dark tone. Trying to appear defiant, she jerks her head up and says, "How dare you tell me what to do? Remember who's fate I hold in my hands."

Barnaby extends his arm toward the door, clearly inviting her to use it, and says, "How could I ever forget?"

As she stomps away, she throws over her shoulder, "I expect an elaborate apology at 7:00 tonight."

~~~~

Kotetsu is using his hair to hold up his head as he stares, unseeing, at the paperwork on his desk. He just can't figure it out....How is he supposed to be in the same room with that crazy woman without bashing in her brains? He knows he has to get a handle on his emotions for Kaede's sake, but that seems impossible right now. He thinks, "Poor Bunny....he doesn't deserve this, keeping that nutjob at bay by satisfying her every whim. I wish I could do something to make it better."

"Make it better..." Kotetsu thinks, with his mind wandering off. He could remember so clearly Barnaby's hands and how they felt on his body, and those sweet, sweet kisses that were full of passion and desire. He could feel Barnaby's love from the way he held him and touched him. 

Just from these thoughts Kotetsu could feel himself getting hot. He could feel the burning on his cheeks and the butterflies in his stomach. "Oh jeez, I need to stop replaying what happened last night....especially since it's impossible to keep from getting aroused with those thoughts swirling around in my head...." Kotetsu thinks, his face getting redder. But he can't stop and now the memory of masturbating in the shower this morning is the final straw. Kotetsu flops onto the desk hiding his face in his arms. He wants to see Barnaby so bad right now, but that might not be such a good idea with him thinking about what Barnaby does with his mouth. 

His back is still hurting from the night before, but he really doesn't care about that. In fact, he already wants to be back with Barnaby in his bed, holding him so tight and kissing him like there's no tomorrow. "How can this be?...I never would have thought I would have any interest in a guy....Really, who cares that he's a guy....I never would have thought that I'd have any interest in ANYONE but my wife, and here I am thinking about Bunny. Bunny, of all people! I mean, why would he want me....an old man? There are probably younger and more beautiful people after him all the time, but he's never shown any interest in any of them. Obviously, his feelings for me are true. What did he tell me? That's right, 'I love you...with. all. my. heart'." Kotetsu's cheeks darkened even more at the thought of that moment.

Hiding his face even more, Kotetsu sits there squirming around until his thoughts stop him. "Even though I know he loves me, I still can't believe that he would want an old man like me....." Kotetsu thinks, lying there on his arm and playing with the pen next to him with his other hand. With a forlorn expression, Kotetsu lets Barnaby's name slip from his lips, "Barnaby."

As if Barnaby could hear Kotetsu, he opens the door and walks through, obviously in a rush. Looking around, he sees that Kotetsu is the only one in the office.

Kotetsu snaps up, looking right at Barnaby with wide eyes. "Good morning Kotetsu," Barnaby says, in that wonderfully smooth voice of his. Kotetsu feels the warm, tingling sensation from last night spreading through his body all over again. He tries to calm down and talk, but "Barnaby...." is all he could manage. Barnaby stops right in front of him so Kotetsu clearly sees the shock in Bunny's face when he says his proper name and not his nickname.

"Kotetsu?!" Barnaby says, with his emerald eyes wide open. Without thinking, Barnaby bends towards Kotetsu's face, one hand placed flat against the desk and the other one grabbing Kotetsu's chin, lifting it up to him. Their faces were so close that Barnaby could feel Kotetsu's breath and after putting his thumb on Kotetsu's bottom lip he could feel his warm breath quickening.

"Barnaby," Kotetsu whispers softly, feeling Barnaby's green bewitching eyes stare right into his. Kotetsu knows that by saying Barnaby instead of Bunny, he's initiating Barnaby's response, but Kotetsu doesn't care...he wants what is going to happen. He even pursed his lips in anticipation. Barnaby, slightly turning his head, is inches away from kissing Kotetsu. 

The familiar thump on the door that always precedes the entrance of Ms. Agnes startles them. Both men jerk to attention, then try to assume a casual stance as she enters, saying, "So, I hear that Brooks is back." She sees Barnaby standing there and says to him, "Good, you're here. You've been gone way too long, your fans are wanting to mob us. Now, lets talk about the particulars of you being back. I'm sure it will just be paperwork for a while. But we can at least get you back on interviews."

"Ok then, I'll be with you in a minute," Barnaby says, nodding, acting as cool as possible. It must have worked because Ms. Agnes leaves without another word, giving them no reason to think she is suspicious of them. They know she wouldn't keep it to herself if she had seen something, so they both start to calm down. "Wow, that was close," Kotetsu says with a breathless laugh. "Yeah, I know what you mean." Barnaby says, looking back at Kotetsu with a look of relief on his face. 

They stare at each other for a while in silence, but Barnaby soon breaks it by saying, "Well, I think we should pick up this conversation later at lunch." Kotetsu, blood red, nods saying, "Ok then, it's a date...." Immediately correcting himself, he says, "Well, obviously not an actual, factual date....You know—" Barnaby quickly cuts him off with, "Oh yeah, I know what you mean....I know that you didn't really mean 'a date'. I mean—" Barnaby is rambling just as awkwardly as Kotetsu so Kotetsu puts him out of his misery by saying, "Don't you need to go talk with Ms. Agnes?"

"Oh, right!" Barnaby says, nervously laughing, making his way to the door. He then stops suddenly before opening it and asks Kotetsu, "Hey, you promise I'll see you then, right?" Kotetsu looks up from his paperwork, dumbstruck, "Oh yeah, I promise I'll be there." Barnaby, relieved again, nods and walks out, closing the door behind him.

~~~~

"Where is he?" Kotetsu thinks, looking at his watch and then back up again. "He did text me that we should have lunch in the office so we can talk without being interrupted, but he's not here yet....Maybe he's not coming..." He looks down and to the side with a disappointed look. 

Kotetsu didn't really want to talk about Sarah, but he did want to see Barnaby. Just as he is thinking about putting up his uneaten hot dog, Barnaby rushes in out of breath and moves his chair so he can sit down facing Kotetsu. He looks urgently into Kotetsu's eyes and says, "I'm so sorry I'm late. Mr. Lloyds held me up." 

"Oh no, it's ok. I was just early." Kotetsu says, laughing awkwardly. "Oh, Good! Er...wait....not that's it good that you had to wait....but that I wasn't late....um...you know what I mean." Barnaby titters and then they both fall into an awkward silence.

Kotetsu decides to be the one to break the silence, "Well, why don't you start at the beginning?" 

Barnaby, wearing a worried look on his face, asks Kotetsu, "Are you sure?" 

Kotetsu swallows hard, but nods and motions with his hand for Barnaby to start. 

"Ok....Where to begin?—" Barnaby asks himself, leaning back in his chair, putting one hand underneath his chin and the other supporting his elbow. "—Oh yes, do you remember that party? That horrible night that I asked you if you would mind being the designated driver?" 

"Yes, you were so angry then." Kotetsu says, experiencing a true light bulb moment. As if Barnaby could read his mind, he nods and says, "Yes, you're right, she did approach me at the party." Barnaby pauses and looks over at Kotetsu, waiting for a sign from him. When Kotetsu nods, he continues, "It was when I had made my way to the bathroom...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mmmh, That should do it." Barnaby thinks, fixing a stubborn stray sprig of hair. Pleased with the success he makes his way out to be stopped at the door. "Sarah.." Barnaby says, with a less-than-enthused face. "Hey there, big boy." Sarah says, holding onto the door jamb of the men's bathroom. Barnaby looks at her with disinterest and bluntly states, "This is starting to be a habit with you. Are you stalking me? Maybe I should get a restraining order against you." Not even waiting for her answer, he pushes past. He's reluctant to touch her so he uses his arm as a wall between them.

"Oh don't be that way, Barnaby." Sarah says, trying to stop him by grabbing his arm.

Barnaby twists gracefully out of her reach and tells her, "Sarah. How many times do I have to say this? I'm not interested. It's never going to happen. I would rather be boiled in acid then to go out with YOU." 

"Well then, you better get your acid of choice ready, pretty rich boy, because I have in my hand a game changer—" Sarah says, staring right into his face with an evil grin that sends chills racing down Barnaby's spine, "—Unless you want the entire world to know about Tiger's little Tiger cub?" Sarah finishes, her evil smile growing bigger, especially at the mix of horror, anger, shock and fear that penetrates Barnaby's patented mask of disinterest. 

Sarah's evil smile fades and her eyes widen in shock as she realizes Barnaby is about to literally tear her apart. She leaps out of his reach at the last second before he can get his hands around her throat and screams, "If I die, the truth comes out!" Barnaby falters, so she quickly adds, "If you kill me there won't be anyone to stop the media from finding out." Sarah tries cover her relief with a menacing snarl, but it's evident her legs are shaking. 

Barnaby, pleased with her obvious terror, glares at her with white-hot fury and says through clenched teeth, "What the bloody hell does that mean? And make it quick or I'll kill you anyway."

"Well, if I ever fail to stop it, I've made arrangements for this secret I've been keeping to be revealed to every media outlet. Then everyone will know about little Kaede, not just me. That's her name, right?" Sarah says, quick and precise. 

Barnaby's anger is starting to boil over so he growls, "Don't you say her name, you filthy little—" Sarah cuts him off right there, "—Uhn, uhn, uhn, you need to start being nice to me." 

Barnaby stops, but if looks could kill, the pure hatred on his face surely would. He takes a minute to calm down by taking deep breaths. Once he has a little control, he says, "I don't think this is your first rodeo." 

Sarah retorts, "Oh no, it's not, and it won't be my last, ether."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Whoa, whoa, wait... You're not her first!?" Kotetsu exclaims with wide eyes.

"No, she's definitely done this before." Barnaby says, being pulled out of his train of thought. 

"What happened to the others?" Kotetsu asks in horror. 

"Well, they can be condensed into three groups. First group does whatever she wants and their secret stays safe. Second group reveals their own secret to keep her from getting control of their life....." Barnaby says, then stops and looks down. 

"And the last group?" Kotetsu urges.

"She destroyed them with their secrets." Barnaby says, not looking at Kotetsu. 

Kotetsu is speechless. 

"But don't worry...I won't let her give it away." Barnaby says, looking back up to Kotetsu and trying to comfort him. "Oh, I know, I trust you Bunny," Kotetsu says, looking down. Barnaby wants so bad to reach out for him but he doesn't. "Do you want me to finish the story?" Barnaby asks, in a gentle voice. Kotetsu just nods to him to continue.

Barnaby returns to his story and says, "While I was still trying to process the fact that I wasn't her first, she tells me that I won't be her last, either." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What do you want from me?!" Barnaby growls, his fury peeking through. 

"What do I want from you?! I'll tell you what I want. You're going to be my Bitch, oh sorry, I mean Boyfriend." Sarah retorts, with a wide grin. Barnaby, more than disgusted with her, cannot suppress an aggravated noise as he turns away. It dawns on him that he has no choice....he can't see any way out. "Fine, I'll do it," he says, barely audible. Obviously unhappy, but not wanting to seem like a push-over, Barnaby starts to walk away from Sarah.

"One more thing!" Sarah says, purposely waiting until he walks away to talk, making him stop and turn around. "What?!" Barnaby snaps. 

"Don't go telling that partner of yours anything. I want this to be just between us. I don't think I have to tell you what I'll do if you talk." Sarah says, with the most evil grin.

Barnaby's face changes to a completely blank expression and he just stands there. Sarah tries to keep her cocky grin, but is starting to feel uneasy again. She waits for him to say or do something. Suddenly he's right there. He's closed the distance between them in an instant wearing his most unreadable mask yet. 

"Ha! Is that supposed to scare me?" Sarah asks. She's trying to sound calm, but as Barnaby gets closer, her voice gets more shrill. Each step he takes forward, she takes back, until she hits the wall and can't go any further. 

Barnaby gets right in front of Sarah and raises his hand. She squinches her eyes shut and hears a loud thump. It takes her a second to realize that a blow has landed right next to her in the wall and not on her face. She still refuses to open her eyes at first, until she hears Barnaby's menacing whisper. He says, "What? Are you scared now?" in the most chilling, smooth tone Sarah has ever heard. When she opens her eyes, she can see that his face has once again taken on that unreadable, indifferent mask. In contrast, her face is a mask of shock and terror and her legs were quaking as well.

"You bastard!" Sarah exclaims.

"I just wanted to remind you who you're dealing with so you don't forget again." Barnaby says. Sarah sits there speechless. Barnaby stands there with his hand against the wall, patiently waiting for her to pull herself together. 

Sarah recovers and spits out in a venomous tone, "If you pull a stunt like that again, I will let the tiger out of the bag."

They have a staring contest until Sarah can't help herself and says, "You got that!?"

Barnaby, glares at her for a little while before saying, "Crystal clear." He lets the words sit in the air for a bit before standing up and walking away. 

"GOOD!" Sarah yells, attempting to make it seem like he didn't just scare the shit out of her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And as you know, I came back very angry," Barnaby says, looking a little bit exhausted from the memory. 

"Yes, I do.....Now everything is starting to make sense." Kotetsu says, kind of quiet and looking away. 

Barnaby isn't sure what to do. It takes everything he has not to pull Kotetsu into his arms and say, "it's going to be OK," but in all truth he didn't know how it would be OK.

"So....Bunny. Will you tell me what you said that night Sarah blackmailed you? You know, 'You are my perfect ray of light. You're perfection. You make me happy.' What was it you said after that?" Kotetsu asks, looking up at Barnaby. 

Bunny looks shocked and says, "You actually remember that?" Kotetsu, with the reddest face ever says, "Yes, I do." 

"Those were just some drunken rambles," Barnaby says, with his face matching the color of Kotetsu's. 

"I don't care!" Kotetsu says, slightly louder than necessary, staring at Barnaby with determination in his beautiful vibrant amber eyes. They stared through Barnaby's emerald green ones. 

"OK, OK," Barnaby chuckles, with a soft smile that makes Kotetsu turn even redder. I told you, "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you and I'm sorry to say but this is good bye...." Barnaby says, his face now a deep crimson. 

"Why goodbye??" Kotetsu asks, with his flushed cheeks burning. "Well, I knew that I would no longer be able to have the same relationship with you I had before. Plus, I decided not to date anyone without getting over you first. I didn't think it would be fair for me or anyone else, and I never thought in a million years I had a chance with you. I had resigned myself to an unrequited love, and yes I know it's still unrequited and I'm fine with that—" Barnaby says, with a bittersweet smile, until he's cut off by Kotetsu. "—You are? But how?" Kotetsu exclaims. "Well, I've been into you for a while so I have had plenty of time to get used to it." Barnaby answers.

Kotetsu is speechless. Barnaby, using this as away to dodge more questions about his feelings, says, "It's because I knew I was going to have to distance myself from you if there was going to be any chance that I could pull it off." 

Kotetsu regains the ability to talk and wants to ask how long Bunny has been in love with him, but since Bunny changed the subject, he lets it go. "Well, I probably don't have to say this, but we can't have sex again." Kotetsu says, looking down. 

"I know. Kotetsu, you don't have to worry....it's fine. I know that we can't. I'm just happy we did it once. This morning was different, I was just caught off guard by the fact you said my name and not Bunny, but it won't happen again. I still want to be friends, if that's OK with you?" Barnaby says, trying to get Kotetsu to look at him.

"Really, you're sure it's OK?" Kotetsu asks, with a hopeful expression. 

"Yes, of course I'm sure," Barnaby says, looking back at him with the same hopeful expression. 

"Well, if you're OK with it, then I am, too," Kotetsu says, with a big smile.

"Great." Barnaby says, with a look of relief.

"Jeez, you looked like the world was going to end." Kotetsu laughs awkwardly. "Yeah, I guess I did," Barnaby says, laughing just as awkwardly as Kotetsu.

They both smile at each other, and then look away, blushing. Still not making eye contact, Kotetsu says, "Well, at least now you know you don't have to worry about me. If there is any way I can help to make it better for you, just ask...."

Trying to put Barnaby at ease, Kotetsu says, "I still can't believe that you have to do this. You've been put back in a cage again. It's just not fair. And all because of me and my big mouth....and don't tell me that it's not my fault. The only way she could have found out about my baby girl is from me. It's not like you've been running around talking about her." As he finishes, he realizes that he might have done the opposite of bringing Bunny peace.

"Oh, Kotetsu. Please don't do this. You can't blame yourself, there's no way we could have guarded against this." Barnaby says, looking at him with a worried look. 

"Maybe so..." Kotetsu says, still not looking at him. 

"Kotetsu," Barnaby says, to get Kotetsu's attention, and when he looks up at Barnaby, Barnaby tells him. "Listen, I know it seems hard to believe, but I'm freer than I have ever been. Yes, I know that I'm not free to do whatever I want, but my soul is. It's funny....when I could do whatever I wanted I did, but in the process it had caged my soul. I didn't know what it was like to be truly happy. Then I met you and that all changed. I'm free to feel things I denied myself, and it's all thanks to you." Barnaby says, with an authentic, happy smile that made Kotetsu's heart skip a beat and his blush come back.

"B-B-Bunny," Kotetsu says, all red. Barnaby just smiles at him more. 

"I don't know what to say," Kotetsu says, blushing deep red. 

"Well then, don't," Barnaby says, with the softest smile. 

Kotetsu turns his head away, feeling the burning of his cheeks, and says, "Um, ok then.....back to the Sarah thing. Why don't you tell me everything that's bothering you. The least I can do is listen to your complaints." 

"Well, ok....if you say so. There really is nothing to say, other than I hate her with every fiber of my being." Barnaby says, not really wanting to think about it. 

"Really, that's all there is to say?" Kotetsu asks, with a look of worry. 

"Well, there is a couple of things that are on my mind. Like the fact that she is an alcoholic and likes to throw up all over my car's interior....or the fact that she tries to seduce *gag* me in that state. Those things sure piss me off and disgust me," Barnaby says, starting to get wound up. 

Kotetsu suddenly remembers something. "Wait, well, now I think it's beside the point, but I caught her cheating on you. You probably already know she cheats on you, don't you?" Kotetsu says, looking at him with a sad expression. 

"Yeah. When did you see her cheat?" Barnaby asks, kind of quiet. 

"It was at that last party....I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how and then you got hit by the scaffolding and that pushed it right out of my mind," Kotetsu says, with his anger at Sarah showing through the sadness now.

"Rrr, that's another thing that bothers me, too. Why in the world does she want to date me just to cheat on me? Nothing is more embarrassing than having people laugh behind my back, and have to act like I don't know that she's fucking everything with a pulse." 

Kotetsu stops him right there. "That's why! She wants to humiliate and embarrass you. That's the whole point," he says, clenching his teeth.

"Of course, that's exactly how she would think! But, at least I don't have to worry about her pressuring me for sex. She gets her kicks elsewhere, but she's a perfect example why people should always use protection every time," Barnaby says, steaming, but right as he finishes that sentence, he realizes that he didn't use any with Kotetsu. He looks up to see that Kotetsu's face is so red that tomatoes are envious. "Oh my gosh! Kotetsu...."

"Hey, no...it's fine. I know what you're going to say and there is no reason to apologize. I was there and I didn't think about it, either. So don't even worry," Kotetsu says, blushing blood red. 

"Right." Barnaby says, his face as red as Kotetsu's. 

"Why don't you just keep on going." Kotetsu says, calmly.

"Well, she's making me a laughing stock of Sternbild City. Not to mention, I'm looking like the biggest idiot of all time that can't help but follow his little head instead of his big one," Barnaby says, with irritation. He brushes his fingers through his hair and continues. "But, really, it's fine. I don't mind as long as you and Kaede are safe. It's a small price to pay for a little peace of mind," Barnaby says, with a more relaxed expression, but Kotetsu can still detect a little tension in his face.

Kotetsu's face hardens when he thinks about all the control Sarah is taking away from Bunny. It's just too much! 

Barnaby looks up at Kotetsu and realizes that he is more than a little upset. "Maybe we shouldn't talk about this anymore. It seems to be making you really angry," Barnaby says with a worried frown.

"What?! No it's fine. I'll—" Kotetsu tries to say, but is cut off by Barnaby. "—No Kotetsu, think about it. You'll have to be in a room with her at some point. I can keep her away from you for a while, but eventually you'll have to be able to talk to her. If you keep on getting angrier and angrier at her, then how are you going to keep your cool when you see her again?" Barnaby says reasonably, willing Kotetsu to hear him.

"Fine, I get it. You're right. Lets stop here...." Kotetsu says reluctantly, his face showing his defeat and barely suppressed fury. The last thing he wanted was for Barnaby to have to suffer this in silence, but there's clearly no other way. After all, he couldn't even imagine dealing with Sarah before....and now all he can think about is one hundred different ways to kill her.

End of Chapter 7


	8. I Want Your Sweetness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, hope it's good and worth it ^^

"It's hard to believe, but it's only been two days since Bunny and I talked...." Kotetsu thinks, staring in Bunny's general direction. He could hear the photographer telling Barnaby to hold a certain pose, but Kotetsu just couldn't make himself pay attention. 

As Barnaby follows the photographer's directions, Kotetsu flashes back to the memory of Barnaby inside him, kissing him with hot passion. He could almost feel the way Barnaby's hands felt gripping his legs. He could almost hear Barnaby whispering sweetly in his ear again, "I love you, Kotetsu."

Turning bright red, Kotetsu snaps out of his thoughts and shakes his head as if that would make the memory literally shake out. "What the hell am I thinking? And here, of all places......" Kotetsu thinks, feeling the burn of his cheeks. Trying to get his head on straight, he looks around to make sure that no one is paying attention. He decides to concentrate on his surroundings so he turns and hears the photographer yell, "More sexy! Yeah, yeah, just like that. Maybe lift your arm up. Yes!" 

When Barnaby lifts his arm as instructed, he winces and lowers his arm quickly. Kotetsu's eyes go wide. 

"Huh? What was that?" the photographer asks, confused. Mr. Lloyds raises an eyebrow at Barnaby's wince. 

"Haha, sorry. I hyper-extended my arm. Maybe a different pose?" Barnaby asks, with a jovial smile. 

"Well, of course. That's good for me as long as you give me sexy," the photographer says, waving his hand. Losing interest in the explanation, Mr. Lloyds goes back to his phone, probably to check their schedule and be ready to leave. But it' wasn't lost on Kotetsu that Barnaby hadn't been doing anything to hyper-extend his arm. After all, Barnaby wasn't allowed to work out because of doctor's orders. He was to be careful and take it slow, even though he didn't need the crutches anymore. 

Kotetsu knew all of this from talking with Bunny. They talk about anything and everything but Sarah so Kotetsu knew all about Barnaby's routine. The only thing that made any sense is that Sarah is hitting Bunny. "Am I being too paranoid?" Kotetsu thinks, with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Maybe I'm just looking for reasons to hate her...." Kotetsu thinks, trying to convince himself that he's just being ridiculous. Barnaby is trying to nonchalantly look Kotetsu's way and see if he's watching and when their eyes meet, Kotetsu's fears are confirmed. Barnaby couldn't help but to give it away in that one look to Kotetsu.

Barnaby, realizing what he's done, looks away as fast as possible. He's wishing that he could stop the overwhelming urge to comfort Kotetsu, but he knows it wouldn't help even if he could. It's too late....Kotetsu knows. Just another thing they'll have to tiptoe around. 

~~~~

"Wow, Wild Honey is really worked up today," Fire Emblem says, with one hand placed against his face and the other tucked neatly under his elbow.

"Right, I've not seen him like this in years," Rock Bison says, taking a break next to Fire and drinking a little bit from his water bottle as he leans against the wall. 

"I mean, the way he's going at that punching bag, it's like he really has someone in mind," Fire says, watching Kotetsu punching with all his might. 

"Yeah, but who could it be? He's been kind of weird lately, but I haven't noticed issues with anyone in particular," Bison says, wincing in sympathetic pain for the punching bag. 

"Not sure, Honey. Mmmh, you're right. He was avoiding us for a little bit and now he's just not there even when we're talking to him. I wonder what's going on?" Fire says, turning to look at Bison who is watching and wincing every time Kotetsu lays a good hit on the punching bag. 

"Don't know, but boy would I like to. I get the feeling he wouldn't tell me even if I asked," Bison says, with an aggravated sigh. Not looking away from Kotetsu for a moment, he scratches the back of his head in bewilderment.

"Well, why don't we go ask him what's wrong, right now?" Fire Emblem says, walking over to Kotetsu. 

"Wait....Fire....Um, Ok," Bison says, failing to stop Fire so he simply starts to follow him.

Kotetsu, picturing Sarah's stupid head on the punching bag, loses it even more now, using his legs to kick as well. The punching bag is heavy as hell, but it's no match for Kotetsu's fury. He kicks it over, then sits there panting and wiping the sweat off his chin. Hearing the uneasy murmurs behind him, he spins around to see Fire pushing Bison, who is yelling, "This was your idea!" Bison plants his feet and stubbornly resists all attempts to push him forward. 

"Umm, what are you guys doing?" Kotetsu asks, staring at them with aggravation and confusion. 

Both Fire Emblem and Rock Bison turn to look at him. Standing up quickly, they both start to make excuses....looking at each other and away. Then Fire, clearing his throat and elbowing Bison in the side, motions to him to go talk to Kotetsu. "Who, me?..." Bison whispers, leaning forward a little bit and pointing at his chest. Fire Emblem simply nods. 

Kotetsu, watching this spectacle, is starting to lose his patience. "Well!" Kotetsu says, a little bit louder than necessary. Both men turn to him, right as he crosses his arms with a raised eyebrow and an unfriendly look. Rock Bison walks forward, clears his throat and says," So, um....you want to go drinking tonight?" his voice getting a little high-pitched at the end.

Fire, nodding, stops when he realizes what Bison has said. He turns and looks at him with an incredulous expression on his face. 

"No," Kotetsu says, firmly. 

"Well, ok then, I'll be going now," Bison says, pointing back the way he came and starting to walk away. Kotetsu, now really bewildered, just stands there. 

Fire Emblem, face-palming and shaking his head, stops Bison and says to Kotetsu, "Wild Honey, what's going on? You seem to be upset." 

Bison stops mid-step and looks at Fire, then Kotetsu, who has suddenly changed his demeanor. 

"Who, me? No, I'm fine. Really..." Kotetsu says, trying to look as happy as possible. "Haha, I'm just trying to keep active," he says, throwing his fist in the air in triumph. 

"Oh, Wild Honey, you're not fooling anyone. Why don't you tell us?" Fire says, placing his hand back on his face, and furrowing his brows in worry. 

"What!? No, no, I'm fine," Kotetsu says, waving his hands back and forth, looking as silly as possible. But Fire Emblem just looks at him and it's obvious that Kotetsu had made Fire more worried than before. Looking away from Fire, Kotetsu's happy mask drops to reveal a strained expression. He's trying to use his bangs to hide his eyes. 

"Is it because of Handsome?" Fire asks. 

Kotetsu stares at the ground, but his eyes go wide, his heart skips a beat, and he can feel his breath quicken a bit. Bison, sensing the change in Kotetsu, gets angry. "What did that guy do, Kotetsu? Is he being a jerk again!?" he says, crumpling his water bottle a little bit. 

"What!? NO, He's done nothing at all!" Kotetsu says, slightly louder than necessary. 

"Then what's going on?!" Bison says, also raising his voice a little bit. 

"Nothing!" Kotetsu says, louder than bison. 

"Really?! I think you're just covering for him!" Bison says, now yelling. But right before Kotetsu could yell back at the stubborn cow, Fire stops both of then by raising his hands and getting between them.

"Now, now, Honeys, this is not helping," Fire says, giving Bison a glare. Bison has the good sense to look sheepish so its obvious that the glare had the desired effect. Seeing that Kotetsu is fuming, he softens his look and says, "Wild Honey, you know we can't help if we don't know what's going on. Why won't you tell us?"

Kotetsu tries to hide his forlorn expression, but he's having no luck so he says, with forced cheer, "Really, nothing is going on....I've just been worked up and can't wait to get out there and arrest some criminals." He gave it his best shot, but even he knows they're not buying it. But...what else could he do? Telling the truth is out of the question, no matter how much he wants to do just that. "I just can't tell them that Sarah is blackmailing Bunny by using my daughter. I really want to....But....I can't...." Kotetsu thinks.

"I've got to go...can't be late....or, well, you know..." Kotetsu says, trying to get away. 

Fire stops him one more time, saying, "Listen, Honey, if you ever need to talk, we're here for you." Fire Emblem then turns to the now quiet Rock Bison and asks, "Right?" in a back-me-up tone. 

"Oh yeah, right, anytime," Bison says, being nudged from his quiet state. 

"Oh yeah, I know that." Kotetsu says, laughing. 

Suddenly Bison pipes up and says, "Then why do you keep it to yourself....I mean, it's obvious that something is bothering you."

Kotetsu, aggravated, says, "Well, maybe it's because you just assume what I'm going to say." 

"What!? I do no such thing....You're the one that does that!" Bison yells, leaning forward and shaking his finger in Kotetsu's face. 

"I do not! You're the one that immediately assumes it has something to do with Bunny....Jeez, I have a life, you know, and it doesn't always revolve around him!" Kotetsu yells back, leaning forward as well and raising his fist in the air.

"Really, you could have fooled me...you're always with him!" Bison yells. 

"Why do you even care!? Jeez, you're not my mom!" Kotetsu yells, with a look of fury.

At this point, Fire Emblem tries to stop this from escalating, but he fails miserably and gives up.

Bison, taken aback at the mom comment, retorts, "Maybe you're Bunny's girlfriend instead of that Sarah woman. I mean, you spend enough time together...Yeah, yeah, maybe you're all kissy-kissy behind closed doors." Bison, reverting back to an 11-year-old boy, starts to hug himself make kissing noises. Fire Emblem rolls his eyes at Bison's childish antics and face-palms. Both of them turn to Kotetsu, expecting a smart-ass remark in return, but are shocked to see that he is bright red and sitting there with a blank look on his face instead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kotetsu, feeling the burn of his cheeks and the pound of his heart in his chest, watches as Bunny brings their tangled hands to his face. He feels the warmth of Bunny pressing his lips to the back of his hand. The tenderness makes Kotetsu feel a smile tug at the corners of his mouth, and he gently pulls Bunny's face toward his with the hand that is entwined in Bunny's soft hair. Their noses are almost touching and he feels Bunny's breath against his skin, giving him goosebumps. Kotetsu says, in a breathless whisper, "Barnaby....kiss me."

The shock at hearing his name from Kotetsu's lips is evident on Bunny's face when he looks up with pleading, green eyes.

Bunny delicately uses both hands to hold Kotetsu's face. Kotetsu can feel Bunny's warm fingers between his hair and he lets Bunny lay him down slowly. He sees Bunny turn his head slightly, right before he closes his eyes and feels the warmth of Bunny's lips placed against his. Bunny's hot tongue licks his bottom lip, moving into his mouth. He loses himself to the sweet kiss, gripping the middle of Bunny's back, gliding his feet up the back of Bunny's legs. Kotetsu feels Bunny's hands move purposefully down his chest to his pants, pushing them down. He feels Bunny's hand slide to his butt, groping him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Wild Honey? Hello?! Earth to Wild Tiger?!" Fire Emblem says, waving his hand in front of Kotetsu's face. "Yo! Kotetsu, you in there?" Rock Bison asks, bewildered. 

"Huh??" Kotetsu says, coming back to reality and looking at them with a confused expression and bright red cheeks.

"Man, you just spaced out on us. What was that all about?" Bison asks suspiciously, looking at Kotetsu with a curious expression. 

Kotetsu, realizing that he was remembering Bunny kissing him that night, turns even darker red than before. "Ehhh, I've got to....to...to go," Kotetsu says, spinning on his heel and making his way to the showers.

"Huh!?" Bison says, with a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look. Fire Emblem is just as preplexed as Bison so they both sit there, speechless. 

They just watch as Kotetsu speeds off. He runs right past Blue Rose, who tries to say "Hi", but Kotetsu darts off without a word. "Well then, bye to you, too," she says, putting both of her hands on her hips and pouting. "What's his problem?" She asks Fire and Bison as she points to Kotetsu's exit path.

"Not sure." Bison says, shrugging his shoulders. 

~~~~

Barnaby is reliving that breathless whisper, "Barnaby....kiss me," coming from the mouth of the most beautiful man he's ever met. 

"Barnaby?" A woman asks, with mock sincerity. 

"Huh?" Barnaby says, coming back to reality. It's an older woman that looks a lot like Sarah trying to get his attention. "Oh, I'm sorry Ms. Gwyneth," Barnaby says to Sarah's mother, "I've just had a lot on my mind," giving her a charming smile.

"Exactly, so leave the poor boy alone, Dear," an older man, who is obviously Sarah's father, says to Gwyneth. 

"He is a hero, after all," says a cute little brunette who looks like a younger version of Sarah. 

"Would you all leave my boyfriend alone," giggles Sarah, hiding her lips with her manicured fingertips. 

"Oh, Pumpkin, I was just seeing if he's home. I mean, after all, he seems to have his head in the clouds," says Sarah's mother. 

"Haha, of course he does. He's dating one of the most beautiful women in the world," Sarah's father bellows out. 

"Oh, now, Daddy, you're too much." Sarah says, waving her hand at him. 

Barnaby, trying to hide his disgust at this facade, forces a nod and a simple smile. All the while, he's thinking in his head, "Just a little bit longer and I'll be out of here. Maybe I'll still have time to see Kotetsu before I have to go home tonight." Even though their conversations have been awkward and strained lately, speaking with Kotetsu is still the highlight of his days.....well, other than the moments he steals to reminisce about the night they had together.

Phoebe, the cute little brunette, glomps Barnaby, saying, "Oh, Sis, you always get the best boyfriends. He's so sweet and patient." It takes everything Barnaby has not to snap Phoebe's arms like twigs. He hates being hugged...really, he hates being touched by anyone other than Kotetsu.

"I'm cute, too, you know..." Phoebe says to Barnaby with a exaggerated little pout. But before Barnaby could say anything, Sarah chimes in, waving her hand at Phoebe, "Oh, Little Sister, of course you are." Phoebe just smiles and hugs Barnaby even tighter. 

Barnaby, wishing for death, is relieved when Sarah's father gets Phoebe off of him by saying, "Awww, my little Bebe, you're just as beautiful as your sister. You two are the most beautiful people in the world. No one can match you." He extends his arms out for a hug which Phoebe happily obliges. Sarah, cooing, hugs him as well. 

Barnaby could gag on this false sincerity...not that he does, but it's not a surprise that Sarah's father, Edwin, knows what to say, after all, he had built a career on it. Barnaby, aimlessly staring in their direction, sees that Edwin is staring back at him when he says, "Right, Barnaby?" It had just occurred to Barnaby that Edwin is expecting a response from him. Barnaby, plastering on one of his best smiles, says, "I couldn't say it any better myself, Sir." Edwin, more than pleased with Barnaby's reply, goes back to his daughters.

"Oh dear, don't mind my husband. He's just being silly," Gwyneth says, with false amusement, as she waves her hand with a small laugh.

"Oh, it's fine," Barnaby says, with a tiny laugh. 

"That's good to hear....after all, his daughters are everything to him," Gwyneth says, with a thin veil of mock sincerity covering her disdain. 

"Right," Barnaby says, with an empty, jovial smile that hides his discomfort at her jab. 

As Gwyneth joins in the fake affections, Barnaby longs for the sincerity he feels when he is with Kotetsu and his family. I mean, Sarah's family says all the right things, but Barnaby isn't fooled by their antics. He longs to be part of a real family like Kotetsu's, but he knows that's never going to happen for him. "Oh, Kotetsu."

Suddenly, Barnaby's train of thought is rudely derailed by Phoebe glomping him again. He barely keeps himself in control as she coos, "Oooh, Barnaby! Are you and my sister going to be coming to my movie premier tonight? I'm playing the lead star's best friend." 

"Oh, um...." Barnaby tries to say, but is cut off by Sarah. Waving her hand, she tells her sister, "Oh, I don't know. I have a busy schedule so we'll see." 

"Oooh, I see. Ok then," Phoebe says, the disappointment showing in her face. 

Barnaby didn't really care ether way, as long as Phoebe let go of him. "Why is she so obsessed with hugging me?....Well, I know why, but how does Sarah not care? Maybe it's because she thinks so little of her sister," Barnaby thinks. He tries to shrug Phoebe off without being too obvious about it, hoping that someone will get her off without him having to piss off Sarah. 

He finds that Sarah is even more touchy around her family than usual. She loves acting like they're the perfect couple and she's made it clear to him that he's not to do anything to mess that up. That goes double when they're around her family. He's sure if Sarah's dear old Daddy knew about the blackmail, he'd be so ashamed it would mean no inheritance for dear little Pumpkin.

Sarah, eyeing Barnaby, can't help but to be amused by his discomfort of being trapped in Phoebe's arms. Sarah's obvious amusement angers Barnaby so he turns to Phoebe and says, "Well, I'll be sure to be at your premier tonight," his smile making Phoebe blush. 

"Oh, will you, Barnaby? Thank you!" Phoebe says, hugging him tighter. Turning his attention back to Sarah, he sees her straining to keep a lid on her fury, which is screaming to get out. Now, pleased with her reaction, he decides to sit there and endure Phoebe's unwanted pawing with a dazzling smile.

"Maybe you could bring Wild Tiger?" Phoebe asks, in baby talk. 

"Yeah, maybe you could bring that partner of yours," Sarah replies, a little too quickly, but covering with her patented "aren't-we-cute" face. Barnaby, unfazed by this, says, "And why would I do that when I have the most wonderful, beautiful girlfriend in the whole wide world? I would much prefer your company at such a gala."

Sarah, pretending to be flattered, waves her hand at him with the tiniest of laughs, "Oh darling, that's so sweet of you." 

Barnaby, trying to hide his amusement with an innocent smile, is happy to see that Sarah's mask is slipping as she comes apart at the seams.

Either Phoebe doesn't get it or doesn't care, so she interrupts their contentious conversation with a cheery, "So, I'll be seeing you guys there?" 

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Barnaby says, with a false smile. 

Sarah, trying to hide her dismay, waves her hand, saying, "Of course, we'll be there." Her smile successfully hiding her fury. 

"Oooh, Yayy, that makes me so happy. Now it won't just be Mama and Papa coming," Phoebe says, letting go of Barnaby and jumping for joy. Barnaby is barely able to hide his disgust and disappointment at the fact he's going to have to be with these people again tonight. He's sure he won't be seeing Kotetsu at all tonight now that he's made plans with Sarah's pretentious family.

Edwin and Gwyneth have lost interest so they sit there with vacant smiles plastered on their faces.That's right, Phoebe has let go of him to go hug her sister and parents. Giddy at his success escaping her clutches, he decides it will be worth it to go with this detestable family tonight, if it gets Phoebe off of him for even a second. 

He sees Sarah glaring at him and he knows he's going to pay later, but Barnaby couldn't care less. He's happy to have wiped that smile off her face for now, but he won't lie....it's not fair that he's won't be seeing Kotetsu tonight. "Kotetsu....." Barnaby thinks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Kiss me," Kotetsu says in a low, raspy voice. The feeling spread through Barnaby's entire body and warmed him to the core. Seeing Kotetsu's orgasm face and feeling his fingers grabbing onto Barnaby's shoulder blades was all too good. Hearing Kotetsu's gasping moans and sweet voice whispering Barnaby's name was all too exciting. The warm touch of their lips together, too addicting. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh great, at this rate I'm going to be hard just from the memory of our hot night together," Barnaby thinks, trying not to show his arousal, but, then again, he didn't need to try very hard because Phoebe is still holding everyone's attention. He uses this as a way to excuse himself and before Sarah could protest, he was off to the bathroom.

He washes his face in an attempt to calm down. He sits there, staring at himself, but at the same time, staring at nothing, because his thoughts are on Kotetsu, and how he would love to get him back in his bed. 

He wants to make Kotetsu feel good just to see the sweet, sexy expressions he makes. He wants Kotetsu....And he wants Kotetsu to love him back....He thought it wouldn't be so hard to resist Kotetsu now that they have had sex, but the opposite seems to be true. "I knew it would be harder than not having him at all, but now that I have had a taste, I can't go back to nothing. I need more, and knowing that I can't have more, has me imagining all the time, even if it's not the time or place for such fantasies," Barnaby thinks, holding himself up with both of his hands flat on the countertop. 

"I just have to get a grip on myself and accept that we can't be together again. I'm damn lucky to have had that one time and that is that. At least we are still friends. That one night could have ruined everything and then I wouldn't even have my best friend. I know I'm lucky to have him, especially since I was a major ass to him when we first met. He really is too kind to me. Why hasn't he left me yet? I'm glad he hasn't and I don't want to jeopardize our friendship again, but even though I'm telling myself this, I'm still getting a hard on. I really need to get out of here, but how?" Barnaby thinks, running his fingers through his hair.

As Barnaby makes his way out of the bathroom and starts to walk back to Sarah and her family, he gets stopped by a maid, "Oh gosh, you're Barnaby Brooks, Jr!" she exclaims, giggling with delight. 

"Yes, I am," Barnaby smiles and gives his trademark salute. She giggles even more. 

"Oh, would you sign my uniform right here?" she asks, pointing to the white apron covering the center of her chest. Barnaby, accustomed to this kind of request, pulls out a pen and proceeds to do so. Once he's done, he puts up the pen, but before he could even move, she asks with a wink, "And how about your number?"

Barnaby, hiding his shocked expression, says, "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly. You do know I'm dating someone, right?" He just couldn't believe that she would ask him so boldly...especially since she works for Sarah's parents. 

"Oh, I know, it doesn't have to be serious...just a couple of nights together, that's all," she winks again, even more flirty than before. 

Barnaby, almost letting his mask slip in his fury, says, "Oh, I'm sorry, but you have the wrong idea about me. I'm not into that." 

"Oh, well, then here's my number in case you change your mind," she says, walking off and swaying her hips side to side as if that was going to seal the deal.

Barnaby, crumpling up the paper in his hands, is furiously stomping through the hallway on his way back to the others, thinking, "She assumes just because I'm dating Sarah, that I'm a cheater, too." 

Barnaby stops in his tracks halfway and wonders, "Why do I care what everyone thinks? I know I'm not a cheater. Does Kotetsu think I'm a cheater? No, this is just my anxieties fucking with me. He wouldn't think that, would he?"

Shaking his head as if to clear it, he starts to move on, but before he can make any progress, Sarah comes up with her family and tells Barnaby it's time to go. "Yes," is all he can think, so he says his goodbyes as if he was sad to go, and walks with Sarah to the car. He thinks, "I need to go home before I go back to work. Even though I had a mood-killing moment, it hasn't really calmed me down and I have the whole car ride to fantasize again. Let's face it, it's not like I have to hear everything Sarah says to get the gist of it."

~~~~

"Mr. Wild?" says a familiar voice, pulling Kotetsu out of his reverie. "Huh?" Kotetsu says to Ms. Violet from the Second Leagues. "Oh, um, Ms. Violet, did you need something?" Kotetsu asks, blushing and scratching the back of his head. 

"Um, well, you're the one that came here to tell us something, remember?" Ms. Violet says, uncertain. 

"Oh, hahaha, that's right, sorry. I spaced out there. Ms. Agnes asked me to check on your progress," Kotetsu says, still blushing.

"Oh," Ms. Violet says, and before she could say another word, the other three Second Leaguers start to crowd around Kotetsu, eager to show him what they've been learning. 

"Ok, ok, one at a time," Kotetsu says, feeling as if he was an anime character with a visible sweat drop. Ms. Violet speaks over them, " Mr. Wild, are you ok? You just don't seem to be all here," she says, her face showing her worry.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've just been working as hard as you guys," Kotetsu says, with a nervous laugh, trying to put her mind at ease. 

"Ok, if you say so," Ms. Violet says, reluctantly letting it go. 

Kotetsu knew just because Ms. Violet let it go, that didn't mean Kaede would. She has been bugging him about what happened, but he hadn't told her anything. He knows she won't allow him to simply avoid or dodge her questions forever, plus it's starting to get real obvious....Oh, who's he kidding? It was "real obvious" from day one, that's why he's become distant. He's kind of getting better not daydreaming all the time, but he's still thinking of Bunny....like how he wouldn't mind being invited back into Bunny's bed to feel Bunny's tongue on him again....those fantastic hands as well. 

Shaking his head and trying to get back to the Kaede predicament, he knows he has to do something. Now he's in a precarious situation since he has promised never to lie. He can't lie to her, but he can't tell her the truth. What should he do?

~~~~

"Well, the Second Leaguers are coming right along. I'm happy to see that and Ms. Agnes was pleased with my report," Kotetsu thinks, opening his door. He was ecstatic to be home, but was sad to know he wasn't going to be seeing any more of Bunny today. "Poor Bunny, having to go with Sarah and her family to that premier. I hope the movie is good, at least," Kotetsu says to himself as he gets on a apron to cook fried rice before calling his daughter. As he cooked, his thoughts were only on Barnaby.

"Kotetsu..." Barnaby was thinking. As Sarah and her family did all the pleasantries, he would say something here or there, but mostly he would just be standing there with his hands in his pockets, free to let his thoughts run away with him. No one ether noticed or cared because of all the aetivity. After all, there were all kinds of people here, like.... "Nathan!?" Barnaby thinks, as he sees the naturally flamboyant man walk past. Of course he would be here, it's a romance. Barnaby hoped that Nathan wouldn't see him and is relieved when he doesn't even look his way. Still though, what would be the odds of him being here of all places. 

Suddenly, Sarah wraps her arm around his, and starts to tug on him to come on. As he turns to her, she says in a sharp, but quiet tone," Where are you looking?" 

Barnaby fights back the urge to snap back at her and says in an innocent tone, "Just looking around." Sarah just stares at him and then leads him away. 

Barnaby, happy not to have to talk with her, tries to get comfortable in his seat and enjoy the movie. He wonders why Fire Emblem is here. He looks around for him and sees that he's not alone. "Fire must be on a date?? No wait, isn't that the lead actor in this movie? That's right, but that doesn't mean that they're not on a date," Barnaby thinks, trying to get a closer look without being conspicuous. As Barnaby watches them, he can see that they're just friends and that the actor's girlfriend is right next to him happily greeting Fire as well. "Mmmh, but I do wonder why he's here..." Barnaby thinks, getting settled as the movie has finally started.

It doesn't take long for Barnaby to figure out why Fire is here or the plot of the movie. In fact, he's curious if Sarah gets the irony in all this. It's not even halfway through the movie and the plot is mirroring how his life is going right now....A man who's in love with another man is being blackmailed into dating a woman he doesn't even like. The only difference is that the man was dating the woman before she started to blackmail him and the juicy information he doesn't want to get out is that he's been secretly gay the whole time. 

Barnaby's brain hurt from the obvious lack of understanding coming from Sarah. She really doesn't see the irony at all. He knew that Sarah didn't know about his feelings for Kotetsu. Well, she may suspect, but she couldn't prove anything. She didn't need to know that part, to get that she's blackmailing him. She must not be watching the same movie he is. 

Sarah suddenly excuses herself to the bathroom, walks off, and Barnaby isn't surprised at all when a man follows her out. "Oh, now I get it....she was watching the 'who-am-I-going-to-fuck?' show," Barnaby thinks, gripping onto the arms of his chair to keep from losing his cool. "You would think I would be used to this by now, but I'm not..." Barnaby thinks, looking around. He could see that no one else noticed. They were all watching the movie. 

Even though Barnaby didn't usually watch movies and this one was on a touchy subject, he really liked it. The movie was surprisingly good because the blackmailing woman got what she deserved and the two men got together in the end. But, Barnaby knew that real life was very different and that he's unlikely to get his fairy tale ending....especially if he can't figure out Sarah's contingency plan. The only way he can think of to keep Kaede safe will require him to give up his freedom, but since it's his only shot, he has to be sure it'll work before implementing that plan. 

Barnaby hears everyone moving around and realizes he must pull himself back to the present. Getting up and following Sarah's family out, he hopes that Sarah's done with her little escapade in the bathroom. He really needs to go, but doesn't want to run into them. He doesn't want Sarah or anyone else to realize he knows what she's doing. He likes it better that way and to his relief, she's making her way back. He doesn't even stop to greet her and excuses himself to the bathroom. He didn't even look at Sarah to see if it bothered her snce he couldn't care less.

"Ohhh, man, I still have to have dinner with these people," Barnaby mutters to himself. As he washes his hands, he hears the door so he looks up to see Edwin walking in. "Ah, Barnaby, my boy, I've been wanting to talk to you."

"Me?" Barnaby says, confused and uncertain. 

"Yes, I just wanted to tell you I'm glad you're the one that's dating my daughter," Edwin says, slapping him on the back. 

"Oh-oh," Barnaby stammers, trying not to cringe in pain because, of course, he hit the bruise on his back Sarah had given him the last time she hit him. Edwin didn't notice and went on, saying, "Yeah, Sarah's last boyfriends were real duds and just plain dangerous, but you, you're a good man with honor and integrity. It does my heart good to know you're the one dating her," Edwin says, with a creepily jovial smile. 

"Oh-um, thanks, Sir..." Barnaby says, uncertain. He knows this look...he himself had done it many times. So what was Edwin really meaning? Well, Barnaby didn't have to wonder for long....

"So, you better take good care of my daughter, you got that, Barnaby? I don't want anything to happen to her. You understand, because we want the same thing....Right?" Edwin says, with his eerie smile, turning into a deadly serious expression. 

"Oh, of course, Sir," Barnaby says, trying not to be amused by his threat. This man had no idea who he was messing with, but Barnaby played along for the sake of Edwin's ego and pretended to be intimidated by him. It was hard for Barnaby not to crack a smile or laugh at him, but he somehow managed.

"Good, I know your being an unmasked hero could be dangerous for my little Pumpkin so I want to know that you have her best interest at heart," Edwin says, pleased with himself. 

"Oh, yes, I do. Don't worry about a thing, Sir. She's in good hands with me," Barnaby says, trying to stifle the involuntary chuckle that's struggling to get free. 

Barnaby, managing to keep a straight face, can see that's all Edwin wanted to do, to make sure that Barnaby knew he wasn't going to tolerate Sarah getting put into danger. Now that he's happy with their talk, Edwin has gone back to normal. "Well, then, my boy, lets go join the girls. By the way, dinner is on me," Edwin says, whisking Barnaby out the door before he could say anything else. 

~~~~

Kotetsu is laying in bed, tossing and turning, when he hears his cell phone ring. "That's odd, who would be calling me now, and on my cell?" he wonders, sitting up and grabbing it off the nightstand. When he sees "Bunny" lighting up the screen, his heart skips a beat. He could feel the joy spread through his whole body so he doesn't waste another second answering.

"Hey, Bunny," Kotetsu says, trying to hide some of his excitement.

"Haha. Hey, Kotetsu, how are you tonight? I didn't wake you, did I?" Barnaby says, quietly.

When he hears Barnaby's reply, Kotetsu realizes he's been too obvious with his feelings. "Haha. No, I've been awake, sitting here, debating whether I should give up and go watch TV. So, truthfully, you have perfect timing," Kotetsu says, his heart racing in his chest. 

"Oh, I see. Well I am always on time, so of course I would have good timing as well," Barnaby softly chuckles, in that smooth voice of his.

"Right.." Kotetsu says, feeling the blush spreading over his cheeks. 

"But, you didn't answer me. How are you tonight?" Barnaby whispers.

"Oh, um, well, you know. I'm hanging in there, and you?" Kotetsu says, trying not to be so obvious that his heart wants to pound out of his chest.

"Oh, you know, I can't complain," Barnaby whispers, in a obvious sarcastic tone.

"Oh yeah? I'm guessing that's why you're whispering," Kotetsu says, dreading the name that he knew Bunny was going to say.

"Yes, Sarah is in my room right now sleeping off a whole lot of alcohol," Barnaby whispers, with slight irritation in his tone.

"Ah, I see..." Kotetsu says, trailing off.

"But that's not why I called you...." Barnaby whispers, in a softer and sweeter tone.

"Oh?" Kotetsu asks, with a raised eyebrow that also is evident in the tone of his voice.

"Haha, yes, I just wanted to hear your sweet voice." Barnaby says, in a smooth, enchanting whisper. 

Kotetsu's sure Bunny can hear his heart pounding and his face is so red that he can feel the burn on his cheeks. He swallows hard and tried to calm down before replying. "Damn that Bunny!" Kotetsu thinks, but he can feel the corners of his mouth tug into a smile. He can't lie to himself, he adores Barnaby's cute little antics.

"Kotetsu? You still there?" Barnaby asks, in that sweet whisper.

"Yes I am," Kotetsu says, with a soft chuckle. 

"Oh good, I was worried you had fallen asleep on me," Barnaby whispers, the tone of his voice making his grin obvious.

"Haha, how could I fall asleep with you teasing me?" Kotetsu says, flustered at the look on Barnaby's face that he knows so well, even if he couldn't see him.

"Oooh, so you admit I fluster you," Barnaby says, teasing even more.

"BUNNY!" Kotetsu says, slightly louder than necessary.

"Hehe, hehe, hehe, hehe, Ok, Ok, I'm sorry....I couldn't help it," Barnaby says, having a hard time suppressing his laughter.

"Oh, you're not sorry at all. I can hear it in your voice," Kotetsu says, flushed blood red, but happy at the fact Bunny seems to be enjoying himself.

"Oh, no, really I am," Barnaby says in a whisper, dripping with sarcasm.

"Haha. Yeah, yeah, sure." Kotetsu says, with a sweet smile that Barnaby can hear.

"Haha....Hey, Kotetsu, I want to ask you something," Barnaby whispers, in a puzzling tone that Kotetsu couldn't decipher.

"Ok, What is it?" Kotetsu asks, ready for anything.

"........"

"Bunny?" Kotetsu asks, apprehensive. Suddenly, he can't hear anything at all. It was giving Kotetsu butterflies in the pit of his stomach. So many things were going through his head, all of them bad. Finally, he hears movement again.

"I'm sorry, I thought she had woken up for a minute. Forgive me?" Barnaby whispers, even lower.

"Oh, ok. No need to apologize," Kotetsu says, now whispering himself, as if it would help.

"Oh, good. You sounded worried....Here, let me go to the stairs to ask this," Barnaby whispers, and then Kotetsu uses the muffled noises to track Barnaby's progress on his way to the stairs that lead out of his complex. Kotetsu could tell when he'd made it, because of the echo. "I'm here, as you can probably tell," Barnaby says, not whispering as much.

"Yeah, so what's your question?" Kotetsu asks.

Oh, well....You're probably going to think I'm acting like a teenage idiot...." Barnaby says, with a nervous laugh.

"Well, I don't know about that, you'll need to ask before I can say," Kotetsu says, with a giggle.

"Haha, right....Well....Did you like.....Was I good in bed? Oh jeez, did you like the sex between us?" Barnaby says, obviously flustered.

"....."

"You don't have to answer," Barnaby says, with an awkward laugh.

"No." Kotetsu says.

"No, you didn't like it?..." Barnaby cuts in.

"No, I'll answer," Kotetsu says, blood red. 

"Oh," is all Barnaby can say.

"Yeah....Y-yeah, you were really good....I was....Well, I liked it a lot," Kotetsu stammers, looking down and grabbing his sheet-covered legs. His face burning like fire as he waits for Barnaby's response.

"Oh..OH..You did like it. I'm so glad. So, if we were in a relationship you would want more? I wasn't a complete dud?" Barnaby says, the tone of his voice giving away the fact that he's blushing.

"Haha, of course....I'm the one that probably sucked. I mean, you did all the work..." Kotetsu says, so embarrassed he can barely speak.

"What?! No, you were amazing! I mean those sweet, warm kisses, and your hands on me....Oh, lets not go any farther down the rabbit hole or I won't be able to come back," Barnaby says, his embarrassment evident in his voice.

"So, wait, are you saying that you have been fantasizing about me?" Kotetsu says, with a laugh of pure joy mixed in.

"And masturbating...." Barnaby says, without thinking.

"Oh man....Really?" Kotetsu says, cheeks aflame.

"Yes, I can't tell you in words how amazing you were, I mean, your hands on me, my shoulder blades. Your warm skin against mine and the smell of chocolate filling the room....Kotetsu, I want your sweetness," Barnaby says, then stops with a noise that can't be discerned. Barnaby had leaed against the wall he was standing next to. "I shouldn't have said that....I'm sorry," Barnaby says with a sad tone.

"No, it's ok, don't worry about it," Kotetsu says, moved by what Barnaby had just said.

"But, we're just friends.." Barnaby says.

"I know, but I want to hear this, I mean, it's the least I can do. If I can't listen to your complaints or even comfort you or return your feelings, I can at least listen to your desires," Kotetsu says, with his heart skipping a beat.

"I'm the one that wants to make you happy. I want to take away your pain and suffering, and if I can't do that, I want to make it easier and comfort you. I just want you to have everything. You should be treated like a king," Barnaby says, with a bittersweet tone.

"Oh, Bunny, don't you think that I want you to be happy, too?" Kotetsu says, trying to hide his tears. 

"Are you crying, Kotetsu?" Barnaby asks, in shock.

"Who wouldn't be after such a sweet confession? It made me so happy," Kotetsu says, wiping away his tears.

"Kotetsu, I love you," Barnaby says, with all his feelings bubbling over.

"Bunny!" Kotetsu says, with shock.

"I'm sorry. I did it again," Barnaby says, red.

"Don't apologize. I mean, who would be mad at this but a crazy person? Who doesn't want to be wanted? Bunny's a secret romantic," Kotetsu says with a warm laugh.

Didn't we already establish that before?" Barnaby says, with a sweet smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You know, when I was a kid, we pretended that we could do palm reading....but it was just an excuse to hold our crush's hand. Hehe, but anyway, I did pick up a little bit of it. You want me to try and read your palm?" Kotetsu asks. "Oh, yeah, sure. Let's do it," Barnaby says, almost pleading. "Ok, cool," Kotetsu says, opening his hand and running his finger along the lines of Bunny's palm. "Ok, you see this line here....I know it means you'll have a long life. Oooh, that's a really good one," Kotetsu says, grinning at him. "I think this one means that you're logical, and this one I know is good health. Haha, and this one means that you're a good lover. Aww, Bunny's a secret romantic," Kotetsu says, looking up at him with a smile.

Barnaby's smile was big and devious. "Oh, is that so? I didn't know this. Go on, tell me more Kotetsu. What does it say about my lovemaking skills?" Barnaby teases, his smile growing more devilish by the moment. Kotetsu's heart, which had finally calmed down, is now racing in his chest again. "Oh, um, um, well, you see, I don't, well—" Kotetsu stutters before being cut off by Barnaby. "Hehe, I'm just kidding with you, Kotetsu. There's really no reason to get tongue-tied," Barnaby says, looking at him with clear lust in his eyes. "Oh, haha, you got me," Kotetsu says, peeking at him shyly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You know, Kotetsu, I still have the origami rose and crane you made for me that day," Barnaby says, pulling Kotetsu back to reality.

"You do?" Kotetsu says, even redder. How could he not have seen Barnaby's desire back then? He was practically spelling it out.

"Yes, I love them," Barnaby says, shyly. 

"Oh, Bunny," Kotetsu says, with a bittersweet tone in his voice.

"......"

"I'm so happy you kept them. Next time I'll make you better ones," Kotetsu says, softly.

"I'll take additions, but not replacements," Barnaby says, with a warm, throaty laugh. 

"Oh, Bunny...." Kotetsu says, with his heart racing. He wants to hug Bunny so badly, and smiles at the thought.

"Kotetsu—" Barnaby's going to say more, but instead concludes with, "—Good night."

"Good night, Bunny," Kotetsu says, ending the phone and pulling it down to his chest. "I want to love him, too. Why did he have to fall in love with this dumb old man? He deserves so much better than me...."

~~~~

"That's just what the doctor ordered, a little dose of Kotetsu," Barnaby thinks, pulling the phone down to his chest and smiling so big his cheeks burned. 

End of chapter 8


	9. Softer and Sweeter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the Kudos and support. Sorry it took so long to post this one. And without further ado here is the next chapter. XD

"Good morning, Fire," Antonio says, walking into the break room for some coffee. 

"Oh, good morning, Bison, Honey," Fire says, a little distracted. 

"What's up?" Bison asks, sitting down next to Fire. 

"Do you remember me telling you I was going to that movie premiere?" Fire asks, still staring off into space with one hand under his chin and the other supporting his elbow. 

"Yeah, what about it, did something happen?" Bison asks, stirring his coffee and looking at Fire. 

"Well, yeah, I saw Handsome there," Fire says, crossing one leg over the other. 

"What? Really? He was there?" Bison says, shocked. 

"Yeah, with Sarah's family," Fire says, now looking at Antonio. 

"Why?" Bison asks, with his mouth agape. 

"Well, Sarah's little sister was the lead character's best friend in the movie," Fire says. 

"So, does that mean Barnaby's that close with the family? Wait, I thought you said that it was an LGBTQ movie?" Bison asks, with a raised eyebrow. 

"It is, that's why I was invited. My friend knew I would love to go so she invited me to her boyfriend's movie premiere," Fire says, spacing out again.

"Right, didn't her boyfriend do the movie because he wanted to show support for her and the LGBTQ community?" Bison asks, drinking his coffee. 

"Yes, he wants the world to know that he loves his transgender girlfriend," Fire says, turning back with a big smile. 

"Yeah, that was sweet of him," Bison says, smiling back at Fire. 

"Yep, but we're getting off track," Fire says, crossing his arms. 

"Yeah, I just can't imagine Sarah's family being supportive of anything other than themselves, much less being seen at that movie. I mean, if Sarah is any indication...." Bison says, looking down into his coffee. 

"I know, right?! I mean, she's a horror show in stiletto heels," Fire says, shaking his head. 

"Like, what was up with that night we went to that party? She was insinuating that she and Kotetsu....It still pisses me off that she was acting like that....and that dress. What the hell?! We all know she can wear some skimpy outfits to those parties, but that one was obscene. Plus, her attitude towards Kotetsu and all of us is worrisome. Does Barnaby even know what happened? Did Kotetsu even tell him?" Bison rants, scratching the back of his head. 

"I don't know, but I'm glad she didn't finish that statement about us being such an incestuous little group," Fire says, with a strained expression. 

"Right?! If she had I might have punched her myself....She was acting like a grade A bitch," Bison says, grinding his teeth. 

"In fact, that's most of the reason I'm thinking about last night. I'm trying to make sense of it all," Fire says. 

"What do you mean, Nathan?" Bison asks, staring at Fire.

"When I came in, I saw Handsome standing there with Sarah's family....and well, his mind was a million miles away. I don't think he saw me, but I saw him, so after I said hi to my friends and got comfortable, I looked around for Handsome. And what do you know? He was sitting nearby," Fire says, rubbing the bottom of his chin. 

"No kidding," Bison says, turning back to his coffee. 

"He didn't seem to be interested in Sarah and her family, but he certainly was engrossed in the movie....so much so he didn't notice Sarah getting up and a man following her out," Fire says, turning his head back away from Bison. 

"What?! He didn't notice?....No way, he's too observant to miss that....maybe it was just a coincidence," Bison says, still staring at Fire. 

"Well, that's what I told myself when I saw it, but when I went to the bathroom at the end of the movie, I saw them both coming out of the men's bathroom together," Fire says, now looking down. Bison just stares at Fire, speechless. "Oh, and that wasn't the end of it, Honey..." Fire says, looking back at Bison. 

"It wasn't?" Bison asks, still shocked. 

"No....while I was using one of the bathroom stalls, I overheard Handsome being threatened," Fire says. Rock Bison is now riveted. "Yeah, it was Sarah's father, Edwin. He started out saying how happy he was that Sarah and Handsome are dating, but then went right into a threat," Fire says, tensing. 

"He did what?" Bison asks, shocked. 

"He threatened Handsome, basically saying if Handsome let anything happen to his little pumpkin....Yes, he called Sarah his little pumpkin, that it wouldn't be good," Fire says, with a bit of anger showing through. Bison knew why he was so mad because he was mad for the same reason.

"Handsome didn't seem to be worried by Edwin's threat. In fact, if I know Handsome, I think he was amused by the idea of Edwin thinking he could do anything," Fire says. 

"I don't blame him, I mean, Edwin could go to jail if Barnaby wanted to press charges. Plus, it's ludicrous to think anybody could keep that crazy woman from getting herself killed. She just doesn't have any sense of self preservation," Bison says.

"Yeah, you got that right, maybe Handsome doesn't even like Sarah," Fire says.

"Then why would he even be dating her?" Bison asks.

"Obviously, it's not just sex. Handsome always has willing women throwing themselves at him," Fire says.

"Yeah I've been thinking about it, too, and I realize that there's no sex that could possibly be worth putting up with Sarah," Bison says.

They don't have time to dwell on it, though, since Kotetsu comes strolling in, saying, "Oh, hey, you guys. Good morning." They turn to look at him guiltily. 

"Good morning, Kotetsu," Bison says, trying to look normal. "Morning, Wild, Honey. How are you?" Fire asks, smiling as big as he can to avoid alerting Kotetsu to the conversation they were just having.

"Oh, you know, same as usual. Hey, by the way, have you guys seen Bunny yet?" Kotetsu says, shrugging his shoulders with a goofy smile. 

"Nope," Fire says, shaking his head. 

"Why?" Bison asks, nonchalantly sipping his coffee. 

"Oh, no reason. I was just curious. I'll just go ahead to the office and see if he's there," Kotetsu says, grabbing the coffees he made for him and Bunny, and walking off. 

"Ok then, bye," Bison says, waving and grinning like an idiot. 

As the door closes behind Kotetsu, they turn to each other. "Do you think Kotetsu knows?" Bison asks, apprehensively. 

"I don't know," Fire says, sharing Bison's worry. 

~~~~

Kotetsu, making his way to the office to find that Bunny is already there. As happy as he is to see him, he immediately notices something strange. Bunny is slouching over his desk, head in hand, typing a report with one hand. And, he's wearing sunglasses indoors! Kotetsu, stunned by this, bites back his greeting and shoots a questioning look at the Office lady. 

"I don't know, he was like this when I got here," she mouths to Kotetsu, shrugging. Kotetsu, worried, looks at Bunny then back at the office lady and then back again. 

As if she had read Kotetsu's mind, the Office lady stands up and says," I'll leave you two alone." As she grabs some papers and makes her way out, Kotetsu mouths a 'Thank you' and with a simple nod of acknowledgment, she is out the door. Kotetsu approaches Bunny, saying, "Good morning," as he places the coffee cup on the desk. 

"Good morning," Barnaby says, without looking up. His tone is overly cheery...a clear attempt to put Kotetsu at ease. Which, obviously, SO does not.

"Bunny....What are you doing? Why are you wearing sunglasses inside?" Kotetsu asks, not really wanting the answer, but waiting for it all the same. Bunny doesn't reply. He doesn't even turn to Kotetsu. He just sits there, typing on his computer. It's clear that Barnaby is contemplating what to say, which makes Kotetsu sure of the reason behind the weird behavior. 

"Bunny, look at me," Kotetsu says, using Barnaby's shoulders to gently turn him around. The sunglasses are unable to hide the bruising. "Bunny?!" Kotetsu exclaims, gently placing a hand on his face. "How did this happen?" 

Bunny brushes Kotetsu off, with, "It's nothing, I'm fine." Retreating back into his shell, he turns back to work. 

"Nothing! Nothing! I'm sorry, but I'm not buying that. You're black and blue all over....Wait, were you like this when we were on the phone last night?" Kotetsu asks in horror. 

Barnaby finally faces Kotesu and pleads, "Oh, Kotetsu, please don't worry about this...." His calming tone not helping at all. 

"Don't worry?! Of course I'm going to worry. Look at your face," Kotetsu exclaims, pulling the sunglasses off. Barnaby didn't protest Kotetsu's action, but he does use that same calming tone when he answers, "Really, I don't think we need to talk about this." 

Kotetsu's brows are furrowed in serious worry. "In other words, I'm right," he says, his fury with Sarah growing. 

"Kotetsu, please don't do anything," Barnaby says, standing up and grabbing Kotetsu's shoulders. 

"Ok, but you have to come with me to the infirmary," Kotetsu says, grasping one of Barnaby's wrists. 

"If that's what you want," Barnaby says, docilely following Kotetsu. 

"It is," Kotetsu says, with a strained expression.

~~~~

"It looks like she went at you with a baseball bat," Kotetsu says, slightly louder than necessary, as he inspects Barnaby's face. Barnaby, wanting to avoid such close inspection, tries to back away, only to be hemmed in by the infirmary bed behind him. "Oh, now, that's not true. I just look like I got the shit kicked out of me, that's all," Barnaby says, sarcastically. 

Kotetsu is not amused by Barnaby's smartass remark and gives him a disapproving look. That's when he notices the bruising at the collar of Barnaby's shirt. Kotetsu loops his pointer finger into the neckline of Bunny's black undershirt and looks down before Barnaby could protest. Seeing that his face is just the beginning of the show, Kotetsu's voice breaks as he exclaims, "Bunny!"

"It's not as bad as it seems," Barnaby says, instinctively pulling away from Kotetsu and holding his jacket closed. 

"Not as bad...." Kotetsu says, feeling the tears well up. "Really, it's ok..." Barnaby says, trying to comfort Kotetsu but he can tell that it doesn't work. Kotetsu's eyes are glassy from the tears that want to fall. 

They stood there in silence, Barnaby watching Kotetsu, who's wearing a look that rips at Bunny's heart. He just couldn't take Kotetsu looking so upset. "Hey, you should see the other guy. I really did a number on him. I hurt him so bad that you can't even see it," Barnaby laughs, in hopes humor will help, but Kotetsu's eyes well up some more, and he turns his head away from Barnaby. 

"That's not funny....she's abusing you, hurting you. Why? She has you doing everything she wants....you're her puppet. So why?" Kotetsu says, feeling the tears falling on their own accord. Kotetsu can't help it....he doesn't want to cry, but it's as if the tears have a mind of their own.

"Because...." Barnaby says, using his left hand to grasp Kotetsu's right hand, and using his right hand to turn Kotetsu's face toward him. When he gets those sweet, honey-colored eyes to meet his, Barnaby uses his thumb to wipe away the tears. 

"You see, she can't own my heart. Someone else does, and he's a beautiful, loving, kind, courageous, thoughtful and heroic person with the biggest heart I've ever seen. No matter what she does, I'll never, ever want her...even if she was the last person on Earth," Barnaby explains with a loving smile. 

Kotetsu's heart starts to race in his chest and his face turns bright red. He can feel the warmth of Barnaby's hand on his face as those sweet words melt his heart. They're holding hands, but Kotetsu intertwines their fingers and places his free hand over the one cupping his cheek, pressing into it. Kotetsu turns his head so he can glide his lips across the palm of Bunny's hand. 

A tingling sensation begins where Kotetsu's lips are touching his palm and races through Barnaby's entire body. Kotetsu looks so cute that Barnaby's heart is beating like crazy...he wants to kiss him so bad that he slides his thumb against Kotetsu's lips, feeling the warmth and smoothness of them. Barnaby's having a hard time holding back.

Kotetsu reaches out and slides his fingertips gently over Barnaby's busted lip. It may have been a small wound, but Kotetsu didn't want to hurt him even a little bit.

As Barnaby kisses Kotetsu's fingers, he slips out his left hand to guide Kotetsu's right hand toward his back. Once Kotetsu grabs onto the back of his jacket, Barnaby's free to hold and kiss the hand Kotetsu had gingerly placed against his lips. Barnaby looks up from kissing Kotetsu's hand with a burning desire in his eyes.

Kotetsu's heart is now racing uncontrollably. Those pleading eyes are so hard to say no to...not that Kotetsu even considered no as a possibility. The warm lips pressed into his palm are feeling so good, but Kotetsu can't lie...he wants those luscious lips against his.

It's becoming more apparent to Barnaby that Kotetsu is yearning for the same thing. He can't help himself, he moves in for it by using his hand on Kotetsu's face to help guide their lips to being inches away. Kotetsu's breath quickens a bit as he wraps his other arm around Barnaby, gripping onto his leather jacket and pulling him close. 

With their faces touching, and in unison reaching their limit, they kiss each other, pressing hard. Barnaby pulls Kotetsu into him so there won't be an inch of space between them. Holding low on Kotetsu's hips, Barnaby licks Kotetsu's top lip, hoping that he will be allowed entry. When Kotetsu's tongue comes out to meet his, Barnaby feels his lower half heating up. 

Kotetsu unzips Bunny's jacket, sliding his hands underneath to push it off his shoulders. Barnaby, getting the drift of what Kotetsu's getting at, takes off his jacket, dropping it on the bed behind them. 

Losing their footing, they fall back onto the bed with Kotetsu on top. Barnaby smiles into the kiss as his hands, that are now on Kotetsu's back, start to pull Kotetsu's shirt out of his pants. When he gets Kotetsu's vest and shirt pulled high up his back, Barnaby places his hands on the bare skin that he's exposed. 

Kotetsu lets a little moan escape his lips as he deepens the kiss with Barnaby. He really loves the feel of Barnaby's hands against his skin. As they move down slowly, Barnaby keeps on going until his hands slide beneath Kotetsu's pants. Kotetsu moans again as he feels the heat of Barnaby's hands through the thin fabric of his underwear. He can't help it, he pulls away from the kiss to moan even louder. When their lips part, nothing but hot, panting breaths are coming from both of them.

Kotetsu could see the cocky, but pleased look on Barnaby's face. It's making him blush bright red, especially since Barnaby is still groping him and starts to use two of his fingers to probe around his hole. Kotetsu moans, moving his butt against the source of his arousal, Bunny's hand. 

Barnaby can see the ecstasy in Kotetsu's face. Their lips are so close that they're grazing against each others. A million small, teasing kisses occasionally growing into a deep, passionate kiss. After one of Kotetsu's particularly soulful kisses, Barnaby doesn't let go...he bites Kotetsu's bottom lip, holding it in his mouth as he sucks on it. Kotetsu, blushing, grips onto Barnaby's shoulders. When Barnaby releases his bottom lip, Kotetsu kisses Barnaby's chin, then his lips, nose, and forehead, including both cheeks and again his lips. 

Barnaby is reaching his limit, Kotetsu is just so cute. When Kotetsu bites on Barnaby's bottom lip and sucks on it, Barnaby can take no more. Once Kotetsu lets go of his lip, Barnaby gets on top, yanks open Kotetsu's belt and zipper, pulling his pants down to his ankles. Climbing between his legs, he puts his bulge against Kotetsu's butt and starts to grind vigorously. 

"Ahhh, Barnaby!" Kotetsu gasps, a little too loud. 

Barnaby grins and wraps his arms around Kotetsu's legs, holding them tight.

Kotetsu, curving his body into Barnaby's intense grinding, reaches out and grabs onto the front of Barnaby's shirt, pulling him into a deep kiss and pressing hard into his lips. He could feel Barnaby's hands start to glide down his legs to his boxers, sliding his fingers between the fabric and Kotetsu's skin. Kotetsu is filled with memories of Barnaby inside of him, and he moves his hips to press harder into Barnaby's grinding motions.

As they were about to lose all control, they hear the unmistakable footsteps of the resident doctor of HeroTV coming their way. Barnaby and Kotetsu break from the kiss and stare at each other, but only for a second, before they jump up and start straightening themselves. Kotetsu pulls up his pants, stuffs in his shirt, and gets his belt buckled. They both rush to find some way to disguise their erections as the door opens.

"Huh, am I interrupting something?" The doctor asks, as she walks in. "Nope," Barnaby says, in a calm voice. Kotetsu is taking care of Barnaby's face, so he doesn't turn around, but he does turn his blushing face in her direction to say," Hi Rizz, how are you doing this morning?" He knew if he didn't do at least that, she would get suspicious of him. After all, he's a social butterfly.

"Oh, I'm good. And you two?....Oh my, what happened to your face, Barnaby?" Rizz exclaims, moving in to get a closer look. Before ether one of them could reply, she says, "It looks like someone took a baseball bat to your face. What were you doing?" 

Barnaby answers with, "Some jerk couldn't control their mouth, so I had to tell them to clamp it shut. I just couldn't tolerate that hate speech." At the same time, he's discreetly moving his jacket onto his lap to hide his erection. Now that Rizz is so close, he knows Kotetsu's body can't shield him.

Kotetsu is very curious about the rest of Barnaby's story. He knows Barnaby is telling the truth, but he doesn't know exactly what he's trying to insinuate. "See, didn't I tell you that it looks like you got hit in the head with a baseball bat?" Kotetsu says, discreetly moving his hands to disguise his erection. "Yeah, yeah," Barnaby says, waving his hand. Rizz and Kotetsu look at him with matching expressions which show that they are not amused. "Well, as your Doctor, I don't want you picking fights with random close-minded people. You realize the thing about opinions is that they're like assholes, everybody's got one," Rizz says, crossing her arms and giving a perfect Look of disapproval.

Barnaby and Kotetsu couldn't help but to laugh. She is so right, but they just couldn't help themselves. Rizz smiles at the two men and laughs with them. "Let me take it from here, Kotetsu," Rizz says, grabbing Barnaby's face to get a good look at him, and starting to bandage him up. "Ok," Kotetsu says, backing up, so she won't notice his bulge. 

"How are you going to explain this to Ms. Agnes?" Rizz asks Barnaby, while getting him to remove his shirts so she can finish bandaging him. "Well, I've already called ahead and told her that it might not be such a good idea for me to be in the public eye today. When she saw me she understood everything so she cancelled all of my appearances for today," Barnaby says, without skipping a beat. 

"Ahh, I see," Rizz says, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. 

"Sounds like you've got this all covered," Kotetsu says, looking at Barnaby with a sad expression. Barnaby could see Kotetsu's face and wanted so badly reach out for him, but he didn't. 

"Well, I think I'm going to go take care of some stuff while you're taking care of him, Rizz," Kotetsu says, trying to hide his distress behind a smile. "Ok then, see you later," Rizz says without turning to Kotetsu as she is quite busy taking care of her patient. Barnaby has a strained look on his face, but he calms down when Kotetsu mouths before leaving, "It's OK, I'm not going to do anything stupid. Sarah will live for now, anyways." After saying that to ease Barnaby's mind, he closes the door gently on his way out. 

Once he's on the other side of the door, he quietly leans against it to get himself together. Kotetsu grabs the front of his shirt where his heart is pounding and thinks, "What just happened?! It's like I was on drugs and had to have it right now....if Rizz hadn't come along....." 

Kotetsu's line of thinking is interrupted by Mr. Lloyds who walks up and says, "Wild, there you are. I've been looking for you." 

Kotetsu's eyes go wide and he stands up straight. "You have?" Kotetsu asks, hoping he's not in trouble. 

"Yeah, I just heard from Ms. Agnes that Barnaby isn't going to be able to go on any of his interviews for some reason," Mr Lloyds says, with slight irritation. 

"Oh, yeah, that's why I'm here. Bunny's in with Rizz right now and I was just leaving," Kotetsu says, looking down and not making eye contact. 

"Oh. Is he going to be OK?" Mr. Lloyds asks, looking a little alarmed. 

"Oh yes, he'll be fine....I just hate that he's getting himself in trouble so soon after....Well, you know," Kotetsu says, Mr. Lloyds' reaction suprising him into shaking his head vigorously. 

"Oh ok, Jeez, Wild, you scared me with the way you were acting," Mr. Lloyds says, looking a little relieved and then instantly becoming irritated again. 

"Yeah, sorry about that. Well, I'll just follow you," Kotetsu says with a smile. 

"Huh, OK, right this way," Mr. Lloyds says walking off.

~~~~

"Oh boy, what a day," Kotetsu says, sitting on his couch hugging a pillow tightly to his chest and resting his chin on it. As he looks down at his crossed legs, he sighs, gripping onto the pillow even tighter. "I didn't see Bunny again after all of that....um, well...." Kotetsu thinks, turning red, picturing Barnaby's hands being placed on his face, remembering the feel of Barnaby's lips and shivering from the thoughts. "Maybe it was a good thing that we didn't see each other again," Kotetsu tells himself. Turning his head to look around aimlessly, he sees the record player that he hasn't used since Barnaby asked him to dance. Then again, the player had been sitting there, unused since his wife died. He'd only blown off the dust to use it because Barnaby had asked him to. "Could it be that I'm so lonely I'd just...." Kotetsu wonders, until he hears his home phone ringing. "Huh?" Kotetsu says out loud as he looks down. He sees it's his daughter and freaks out when he realizes how long he's been stuck in his own head. He jumps to answer it.

"Hey Kaede, how you doing?' Kotetsu asks, trying to sound normal. 

"Hey Dad. I'm good, and you? I mean, you sound kind of weird," Kaede says, raising an eyebrow. 

"Huh, me? Weird? What are you talking about?" Kotetsu says, with a goofy grin. 

"Dad, does this have something to do with whatever happened between you and Barnaby a couple of days ago that you won't tell me about?" Kaede asks, looking at him with a demanding look. 

Kotetsu knows he won't be able to avoid answering these questions much longer, but he still hasn't come up with anything to tell her. He knows he can't tell her the truth but he doesn't want to lie. So....What is he to do?

"listen, Kaede, me and Bunny have made up so there's nothing else really to talk about. The rest of it stays between us. I know you want details, but this is our business," Kotetsu says, with a serious expression. 

"Huh? But why?...What's going on? You don't usually keep things from me when it comes to Barnaby. Is there something bad going on?" Kaede asks, with a worried look on her face. 

Kotetsu knows he's in hot water now. Kaede is right; he doesn't usually keep things from her. He has a hard time keeping even information from her since he wants to give in to anything she asks of him. But he knows that he doesn't need to be spoiling her, especially in this situation. Then it hit him...he could tell her only part of the truth. "No, Kaede, everything is OK. It's just that this about Bunny's life, and I don't feel comfortable sharing it. He told me in confidence and I'm sure he doesn't mean for me to tell you," Kotetsu tells her, crossing his fingers that this works.

"OOOooh! I knew it was that Sarah!" Kaede growls. She looks up at her Dad. "You don't have to answer, Dad, I get it. I just think you need to urge Barnaby to break up with her. She's a horrible person," Kaede finishes with a shake of her head. All Kotetsu can do is stare at her as she hits the nail on the head. He gets himself together so he can speak and says, "Oh yeah. OK, Honey, I'll see what I can do, but I can't guarantee anything." 

"Yeah, I understand, just do what you can," Kaede says plaintively. 

Kotetsu, way past impressed but also freaked out, decides they need to leave this subject behind. He gets Kaede talking about her day, which is the ticket to getting her mind off the Barnaby thing. It seems that jackass teacher has messed with her grades again so she has plenty of things to say about him and how glad she is that the principal sees through him. Kotetsu has no words to express how happy he is that the principal is on her side, too. It's the only thing keeping him from going down there and teaching that teacher a thing or two. Lets just say that no reasonble person wants to piss off Wild Tiger so thoroughly.

~~~~

Kotetsu is lying in bed, contemplating the day's events, when his cell phone starts to ring. He has a bad feeling, so his heart is in his throat when he reaches down to answer. His heart skips a beat when he sees it is indeed Bunny calling him so he can't help jumping to answer it.

"Hey, Bunny, how are you this late night?" Kotetsu asks, just realizing this moment that he has no idea what he'll say if Barnaby starts talking about this morning.

"Hey. I'm good, and you, Kotetsu?" Barnaby asks in a normal tone. He's obviously not needing to whisper.

"Oh, you know, pretty good," Kotetsu says, feeling a little relieved to hear Barnaby's normal volume.

"Haha, as you can tell, I'm home alone tonight. Well, until I have to go pick her drunk ass up from a bar. I guess I can hope she'll be picked up at the bar by some poor sucker so I don't have to do it," Barnaby says, sarcastically.

"Haha, right," Kotetsu says. He knows Barnaby is damned if he does, or damned if he don't.

"Man, I was worried that you wouldn't answer because of this morning," Barnaby says, relieved.

"Oh you don't have to worry about that....I mean, you've been honest with me about how you feel. I should've been the one to stop it. I don't expect you to be superhuman, Bunny. You didn't do anything wrong," Kotetsu says, his heart racing in his chest.

"I know, but I've kept myself in control for so long. I'm a little disappointed about failing to control myself today," Barnaby says, a little frustrated.

"Well, you hadn't had sex with me back then..." Kotetsu says, blushing so red that his ears are red, too. He knows from the quiet way it was said that Barnaby can probably tell that he's flustered.

"Oh, oh right, that seems to have made a big difference," Barnaby says, in a tone that made it obvious to Kotetsu that he's embarrassed as well.

"Yeah, so don't worry about it..." Kotetsu says, a tiny bit shrill.

"Haha, right...." Barnaby says, feeling every bit as awkward as Kotetsu.

"Hey, why don't you tell me why you got your ass kicked by Sarah, anyway?" Kotetsu asks, in an attempt to change the subject.

"Are you sure you want to hear about this?" Barnaby asks, uncertain.

"What, it's not like I'm asking you for the gory details," Kotetsu says, shaking his head.

"Well, OK then," Barnaby says, in a tone Kotetsu can't quite read without seeing his face.

"Yeah, so what happened?" Kotetsu asks.

Well, as you know, I went to that movie premiere," Barnaby says, irritation evident in the tone of his voice.

"Yeah, I heard that from the office lady," Kotetsu says, lying back in his bed and putting one arm behind his head.

"Yeah, well, I went to that movie premiere because Sarah's little sister was the lead character's best friend. She wanted her family, Sarah and I to attend. Oh, did I tell you what the movie was about? I bet I didn't," Barnaby says, in a monotone voice. Then he realizes that Kotetsu doesn't know about the movie's plot and his voice gets mischievous in tone.

"No, you did not," Kotetsu says with curiosity.

"Haha, you're never going to guess," Barnaby says, laughing.

"So, tell me. Stop making me wait," Kotetsu says, dying to know.

"OK, yeah, sorry. Well, the movie was about a man who is in love with another man getting blackmailed by a horrid woman. The main difference from my story is that he was using the woman to hide his homosexuality and that's why she blackmailed him. She knew that he didn't want everyone to know he was gay and used that to control him," Barnaby says, with his laughter getting louder.

"OH. Jeez," Kotetsu laughs, until it dawns on him. "Wait, Sarah's family actually went to that movie?" Kotetsu asks, shocked.

"Haha. Yup. That's why Sarah's little sister didn't tell us what the movie was about beforehand. She knew her parents and Sarah wouldn't want to go if they had known. Haha, and that's how I pissed Sarah off at dinner after the premiere. Her father had a couple of choice words to say about the "gay movie", as he put it. I told him I wouldn't tolerate such hate speech and that he was insulting people whom I consider friends. That went all over Sarah so when we got back to my place....Well...you know the rest. But it's funny....Even though Sarah got really pissed, I'm pretty sure that Sarah's whole family, especially her father, respects me more now because I stood up to them," Barnaby says in an amused tone.

"Oh wow," Kotetsu says, speechless. But, he couldn't help but to smile at the fact he was standing up for Fire Emblem, and all the LBGTQ community, and all because he felt like it was the right thing to do.

"Yeah, and that's why it was worth every single punch seeing the looks on their faces. Man, if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing," Barnaby says, with a tone of triumph.

"Well, I'm glad you see it that way...." Kotetsu says, now getting angry. He's trying to hide it, but he can't. After all, he didn't know if he could even deal with this without killing her. He was always on the edge of going to her house and killing her in her sleep.

"Kotetsu? Please forget that last part...I just got caught up talking," Barnaby says, worried.

"I'm sorry, but I can't! I mean, that's why you called me last night...because you needed to hear a friendly voice after getting hit upside the head by a mad woman," Kotetsu says, with pure anger in his voice.

"Yes, I won't lie to you. That is why I called you; I needed your kindness. Plus, I've been feeling like I just need to hear your soft and sweet voice every day, and maybe multiple times if at all possible," Barnaby says, the desire obvious in his voice.

Kotetsu is again speechless; he just can't find the words he wants to say. Hearing Barnaby's voice makes his heart race so fast and loud, he swears that Barnaby could hear it over the phone.

"listen, maybe I shouldn't call you-" Barnaby tries to say, but Kotetsu stops him.

"No, please call me whenever you want. Let's just not talk about Sarah anymore tonight. You're right, I just can't handle anything else about her right now," Kotetsu says, desperate to make sure Barnaby knows to call. "Bunny, please don't stop calling me. We won't talk about Sarah again, OK?" 

"Kotetsu, don't worry. I'll call you. I just don't want to upset you, that's all," Barnaby says, happy to hear that Kotetsu still wants him to call. 

"Oh good," Kotetsu says, relieved.

"Why don't you tell me about something that you did today?" Barnaby asks Kotetsu seductively.

"Oh, um, well, I didn't do anything but almost have sex with you this morning," Kotetsu says, getting caught up and not paying attention to what he's saying. After all, that tone of Barnaby's always gets him worked up, but once Barnaby's silence on the other end draws his attention. "OH, but I did talk to my daughter tonight, too!" Kotetsu exclaims quickly.

"Oh yeah, what did she have to say?" Barnaby's tone is full of relief that he didn't have to answer back to the first part of Kotetsu's statement. He was happy to just let it go past without remark. 

"Yeah, she said that I needed to urge you to break up with Sarah. I told her I'll see what I can do, but no promises," Kotetsu says with a laugh. He knew from the tone of Barnaby's voice that he had barely escaped a lot of trouble.

"Oh? How did you guys get to talking about this?" Barnaby says, with amusement in his tone.

"Oh right, I didn't tell you, but Kaede hates Sarah and thinks you need to stop dating her. Plus, she was wondering why we were fighting and if we made up. I wouldn't go into too much detail about it, so I told her that I didn't feel comfortable talking about your life without your permission. That's when she said she knew it had something to do with Sarah and I should urge you to stop dating her," Kotetsu says, with his hand on his face covering his eyes.

"Ooh-ho, is that so? Well then, nothing gets past Kaede, does it? I bet you're impressed but freaked out all at the same time," Barnaby says, with a laugh.

"Well, aren't you?" Kotetsu asks with delight.

"Yeah, I am. I can't believe that you were able to stall her for days about us making up," Barnaby says.

"Well, I couldn't tell her what was going on. I needed to tell her enough that she didn't keep on asking or figure it out on her own," Kotetsu says, shaking his head.

"True. Very true. Well, I'm guessing that you accomplished that tonight?" Barnaby asks, chuckling.

"Yeah, I think it worked," Kotetsu shrugs.

Well, that's good. She'll probably forget this and move on," Barnaby sighs.

"Yeah, but it's far from over for you. You know what? Let's stop right here, before I bum us out again," Kotetsu says, covering his face with his hand.

"Yeah, good idea. Good night," Barnaby says and then adds in a joking tone, "Good night, Kotetsu, my love."

"Haha, good night, Barnaby," Kotetsu says, with an obvious smile in his voice. He ends the call, putting the phone up to his mouth, thinking, "That Bunny...He really knows how to make my heart go crazy." 

Kotetsu lays the phone on the nightstand and pulls up the covers. "I know that the reason my heart is doing this is because he's such a tease, but why am I acting this way? I'm teasing him...Worse than that, I'm provoking him. I shouldn't be doing that. I know it's been a long time since I've had such love and affection, but that doesn't excuse my playing with his heart like this. Loneliness is not a reason to have sex with someone," Kotetsu thinks, rolling onto his back.

"What if Bunny gets Sarah to leave him alone and life goes back to normal? Will we still be friends after all of this? Yes, of course we will because, from this point on, I won't do anything to tease or provoke Bunny. One day he'll get over me and find someone to marry and be very happy and I'll be right there with him," Kotetsu thinks, gripping the blankets tightly. 

And as Kotetsu closes his eyes to go to sleep, he imagines Barnaby in a black wedding tux, but Kotetsu isn't the best man. He's the bride, wearing a white tux and holding Barnaby's hand while Kaede passes them the rings.

Kotetsu eyes shoot open and he jerks up into a sitting position, shocked at his own imagination. 

End of chapter 9


	10. Warm Thoughts of You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayy, I'm so happy to have another chapter up. XD And thanks for all the Kudos. X3

"Wild Tiger is gaining on the criminal that has split away from the group and it looks like he's almost got him!" The announcer is yelling in his excitement.

"Oh man, that was a close call. I almost didn't get the guy," Kotetsu says, taking his helmet off and watching the replay of earlier events.

"Oh, looks like Wild missed him by just an inch! Well, it looks like our lovable Wild Tiger might not get an arrest this time!" The announcer screams.

Kotetsu cringes at his clumsy attempts to get the guy. 

"Finally, Wild Tiger has caught the criminal and is now taking him to holding! Well, that's all for this episode of HeroTV, now lets see who got an arrest this time. Of course, Sky High, this year and last year's King of Heroes, made an arrest. Fire Emblem and Wild Tiger also arrested a criminal. Oooh, lookie here! Wild Tiger is gaining on Sky High. He's only 700 points behind him now. Better look out, Sky High. It looks like there might be a new King of Heroes in town soon. Maybe Barnaby Brooks, Jr. will be able to join us next time, so tune in to see which Heroes rise in the ranks!"

"Wait! I'm only 700 points behind?!" Kotetsu exclaims to the TV. He then turns to see the other Heroes. 

"Good job, Mr. Wild," Sky High says, with a huge grin as he pats him on the shoulder. 

"Thanks," Kotetsu says, with a toothy smile and a little blush on his face. 

"Yeah, way to go," Dragon Kid says, punching his shoulder. 

"Yeah, not bad, I guess," Blue Rose says, waving her hand. 

"Ooh Honey, not too far away, just any day now," Fire Emblem says, putting both hands on his face and swaying his hips side-to-side. 

"Yeah, man, way to go," Rock Bison says, putting Kotetsu in a headlock and messing up his hair as they both laugh. 

"Ok. Ok, enough," Kotetsu laughs, pulling out of Bison's grip and smoothing his hair. 

"You've done a great job," Origami Cyclone says with a shy smile. 

"Hehe, thanks Origami. Really, I want to thank all you guys for being so supportive," Kotetsu says, smiling, looking down, and scratching the back of his head. 

"Oh, Honey, no need to thank us," Fire says, giving him a sweet smile. 

"Yeah, you would do the same for us," Dragon Kid says, giving him a thumbs up with both hands. 

"Yeah I would....but, still, you guys are the best friends a guy could ever ask for," Kotetsu says, still looking down and scratching the back of his head. 

"Aww, well thank you, Honey," Fire says with a big smile. 

"Haha, you want to go drinking?" Bison asks, wrapping his arm around Kotetsu shoulders. 

"Sure, let me get changed and do something real quick, first." Kotetsu says, getting out from under Bison's arm and walking off waving.

"Ok." Bison says, waving back at him.

"I wonder what he needs to do," Bison asks, turning to everyone. They all shrug back at him. 

"Maybe he's going to talk to Mr Barnaby," Sky High says, taking off his helmet. "Maybe..." Bison says, trying not to look so worried about it. He looks at Fire, who obviously shares his concern. They still don't know if Kotetsu and Barnaby have talked about Sarah and her nasty attitude, and they both want to know what's going on.

~~~~

As Kotetsu makes his way to the office, he feels someone grab his left arm and pull him into a room. He turns around, but he has already recognized the smell. "Bunny?!" Kotetsu exclaims with an unmistakable smile on his face. The truth is, he now gets butterflies in his stomach every time he sees Bunny. He can't deny that he's wanting to have sex with Bunny again and every time they see each other, his desire gets stronger.

"Hey Kotetsu, I saw you on HeroTV. Not bad for someone who almost let the criminal get away," Barnaby teases with a soft smile that sends chills through Kotetsu's entire body. 

"Oh shut up," Kotetsu says, with a flirty smile. 

"Oh you know I can't help myself." Barnaby laughs, with a big grin. 

"Yeah, yeah, so why is it that you stopped me from going all the way to the office?" Kotetsu asks, with a raised eyebrow and a crooked smile. 

"Well Mr. Lloyds is looking for you to make you do some of your paper work and if you want to go celebrate, you need to leave now," Barnaby says, winking at him. 

"Oooh, I see. Well, thanks, for the heads up," Kotetsu says, fidgeting with his hands in front of him. 

"No problem. What are partners for?" Barnaby says, walking off and waving at him. 

"Wait!" Kotetsu says, reaching out and grabbing his wrist. "Why don't you come with me?" he asks, with such a hopeful look, but Barnaby looks away from his hopeful eyes, saying, "I'm sorry but I can't..." 

Kotetsu knew from Barnaby's reaction that he had to be stuck with her. "Sarah...." Kotetsu says, letting his head drop until his eyes are staring at the floor. 

"Kotetsu, hey. Go have fun, don't worry about me. After all, this is a happy time. You're closing in on King of Heroes," Barnaby says, grabbing his upper arms and making Kotetsu look up at him. When Kotetsu continues to divert his eyes and not listen, Barnaby looks for his gaze and when he had it, he says, "There's no reason you can't go and have fun. I'll be fine and we'll celebrate together later. Ok?" Kotetsu could only nod and put on a weak smile. Barnaby isn't fooled by that smile, but he hopes that Kotetsu will be cheered by all the fun he's going to be having with the other heroes. 

Feeling Barnaby let go and take a step back, Kotetsu turns and walks away. He knows from the lack of footsteps behind him that Barnaby is watching him walk away. He doesn't need to look back to know the forlorn expression on his face is also matched on Barnaby's. 

~~~~

"Let's have a toast to Kotetsu, only 700 points away from getting King of Heroes!" Bison says, raising his glass in the air. "And let the best man win," Sky High says, energetically throwing his glass up and almost spilling his drink in the process. Kotetsu and Origami laugh at Sky High's happy energy. "Well, I'm not there yet so lets just say this is a celebration for another great arrest," Kotetsu says, lifting his drink. 

"Haha, what great arrest? You almost fell flat on your face," Bison laughs. 

"Oh shut up, at least I'm getting arrests, unlike you," Kotetsu retorts, leaning forward in his chair and pointing with his hand holding the drink. 

"Hey! Shut up." Bison says, losing his smile and pouting. 

"Make me!" Kotetsu says, a taunting look on his face. 

"Maybe I will!" Bison says, putting his drink on the counter in front of him. Sky and Origami are starting to look nervous, the two men seem to be about to go at it. 

But they both burst into laughter and lean back in their seats. After their laughter peters out, they look at each other, waving their hands at the other and going back to drinking. Sky and Origami relax and laugh a little when Kotetsu turns to them. "You guys really thought we're going to fight?" Kotetsu asks them with a goofy grin. 

"Well, yeah," Origami says, looking at his club soda.

"Oh, no, we were just messing around," Bison says, with a laugh. 

"Oh, good," Origami says, smiling. 

"Yeah. This is a celebration, after all," Sky says, throwing his drink in the air again, but more carefully this time.

"Right!" Kotetsu exclaimed, leaning forward again.

"Hey, I'm going to go play a game of darts," Origami says, standing up.

"Oooh, yeah, I'll go with you," Kotetsu says, standing with him.

"Alright, cool," Origami says and he and Kotetsu start a game. Of course Origami wins, it's been some time since Kotetsu has played darts. 

"Nice game, but I was no match for you," Kotetsu laughs, raising his glass to him.

"Well, I do play this every time I go drinking with Sky and Bison," Origami says, nervously fidgeting with his bangs.

"Maybe so, but still, that was a good game and I quite enjoyed it...even if I did get my butt kicked," Kotetsu says, with a big grin. 

Origami blushes and smiles, nodding, "Yeah, that was fun." Kotetsu laughs and messes up Origami's hair, then goes back to the table as Origami starts a solo game. After taking a seat, he hears Sky and Bison talking about what's been in the newspaper lately. Kotetsu hasn't had time to read any of it, I mean, how could he? All this Sarah stuff has had him preoccupied.

"Really, so there's a NEXT out there giving men the ability to get pregnant?" Bison asks, with a raised eyebrow.

"From what I've heard, yes, but it's still early days and there's not that much known about it," Sky says, looking a little worried.

"So, they don't know how this NEXT's powers work?" Bison asks, trying not to freak out too much.

"Yeah, there's only been one or two cases, so it's probably an isolated incident and something the people of Sternbild don't need to worry," Sky says.

"Oh, boy, that's weird. I don't know about you, but I'm hoping that they're right and we don't have to deal with this," Bison says, shaking his head. 

"Right," Sky says, with a tight smile.

"Hey, look on the bright side, you two. Maybe this could work out really well for couples with fertility problems. So many women struggle over and over, but their bodies are unable to conceive," Kotetsu says, turning to them.

"Yeah, but still it's creepy that men are getting pregnant," Bison says, taking a swig of his drink.

"Yeah. It's just not natural, but there are NEXTs out there that can switch your gender, make you age backwards or forwards, turn you into animals and even can read your mind. It was only a matter of time before powers like this arose. Plus, NEXT abilities are not choosy when effecting people so it makes sense that it would work on both genders," Kotetsu says, shrugging.

"True," Bison says, rubbing his chin.

"Yeah, you're right, Mr. Kotetsu, we're looking at this all wrong. Maybe since it affects men, too, we haven't noticed the wonderful effects it has for women," Sky says, looking a little relieved at the thought.

"Yeah, I see what you mean," Bison says, nodding.

Kotetsu nods with them and kind of laughs, but it's his way of hiding his discomfort about the subject. He does want more kids, after all, but this is out of the question. He's never going to get pregnant if he has anything to say about it.

"Lets talk about something else," Bison says.

Kotetsu could see that Bison and Sky felt the same as he did about the matter. They're trying to stay open-minded, but still, the mere idea of it freaks them out.

"Yeah, lets," Sky says, nodding and turning to Kotetsu. "So how is Mr. Brooks? He's not back on HeroTV yet." 

"Oh, he's doing a lot better but the doctor says he isn't ready to be running around arresting criminals," Kotetsu says, with a strained smile.

"Ahh. I bet he's itching to get back out there," Sky says with a big smile. He doesn't notice Kotetsu's strained one, but Bison does.

"Yeah, he's been having a hard time being patient," Kotetsu says, trying to hide his discomfort with this conversation. He's searching for ways to subtly change the subject. He doesn't want to start anything with Bison and the mere mention of Barnaby is usually enough to start something.

"Hey, man, you ok? You seem weird, like you guys are having a fight or something?" Bison asks, trying to broach the subject carefully.

"No, we're not fighting," Kotetsu says, not even looking at him. "Oh, no, here we go again. He just can't leave it alone," Kotetsu thinks.

"Well, then, what's up? You're acting weird," Bison says, trying not to say what he wants to say.

"Nothing's up. Why can't you get that through your thick head?" Kotetsu says, tightening his grip around his drink. 

"Hey, I'm not trying to start anything," Bison says, irritated.

Sky High can see where this is going so he gets up to join Origami Cyclone, who is watching this play out as well. They both know not to interfere.

"Oh, really? That's what it sounds like to me," Kotetsu says, raising his voice a little and turning to him, angry, "Why don't you just tell me what you really think and feel?"

"Why do you even worry about that guy? It's not like he's worried about you. He always seem so cold and distant," Bison says, trying, without luck, to hold back his anger.

"Oh, shut up. You don't know a thing and I'm tired of listening to your stupid shit. You only want to see the bad, so you never notice the good he does," Kotetsu says, pissed.

"That's not true. I know he's a good hero. It's just that he doesn't seem to be a good friend. When has he ever considered your feelings or thought of you at all? He didn't care if you came back as a hero and said he didn't even miss you. It could have been any of us assigned to be his partner, you just happen to be the one, that's all—" Bison says heatedly, but he's cut off by Kotetsu.

"I've heard enough of your shit. You just don't know anything. Bunny did miss me. He's always thinking of me and just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it's not happening. He's....." Kotetsu stops before he says that Bunny is in love with him and always protecting him and his daughter. He can't tell Bison about the Sarah thing. After all, if this is how he is about Bunny, what would he do to Sarah, someone that is actually threatening him? Kotetsu can't help but relish the idea of him and Bison smashing Sarah's head into the wall.

Bison sees the wheels turning behind Kotetsu's eyes. He doesn't know why Kotetsu stops or why he's thinking so hard, but Bison takes it as Kotetsu is seeing it his way. He says, "He what? Well? I think that you want to see the good that isn't there. I know you, Kotetsu. You want to save everyone but there are some people you just can't save, and it's not your fault. That doesn't mean you have to waste your time on him."

"What!? No that isn't what's going on here!" Kotetsu yells. He's reached his limit and is done with this conversation. "I'm going now!" he says, getting up.

"Wait, Kotetsu!" Bison says, trying to stop him. He's wondering where he went wrong. Kotetsu is the one that started this conversation, but Bison was trying not to say anything bad about Barnaby.

"No thanks, I'm leaving before I drink too much and can't drive," Kotetsu says, walking away before Bison can stop him, saying night to them all of with a wave of his hand.

"Rrrr, that stubborn idiot. I wasn't even trying to piss him off. I only asked if they were in a fight and that was it," Bison says, crossing his arms and looking down at Kotetsu's first drink, realizing there's more than half left.

"Well, maybe it's because he assumes that you are going to talk about Mr. Barnaby being a bad influence," Sky says, gently as possible.

"Oh, great. So now I'm the kind of guy that beats a dead horse. I really had no intention of mentioning any of that, it was supposed to be a celebration. I should've kept my mouth shut like I planned, but I'm just so worried about him," Bison says, looking sad.

"Yeah, but maybe you should just trust him," Origami says, walking up.

"But, I do," Bison says, turning to Origami and Sky.

"Then let Mr. Kotetsu do what he needs to do and just be there when he needs you," Sky says, patting Bison on the back.

"Yeah, I guess so....it's just....he never asks me for help. It's like I'm the little brother that needs his big brother to take care of him. Kotetsu is always helping me, but I don't ever get to help him. It's just so frustrating, I just want to help him like he helps me...." Bison says, looking back to his drink in his hand.

Origami and Sky look at each other then back at Bison. They knew all too well that he's right. They may not have known Kotetsu as long as Bison has, but everyone knows Kotetsu does everything on his own.

"You know, I didn't have to worry about him like this when Tomoe was alive. She always took care of him....boy, do I miss her," Bison thinks, looking deep in his drink. "She made me promise to look after him after she was gone, but I guess I'm falling short on that."

Origami and Sky try to cheer him up.

~~~~

Kotetsu gets into his car, slams the door hard and sits there fuming. He knows Bison is just trying to help, but that doesn't make it any better. Why couldn't Bison just trust him? Why does he have to tell him how to run his life? Kotetsu knows what he's doing, so why is it that Bison can't see that? Well, he knows Bunny isn't the kind of guy to show people he's a really great guy, but why can't Bison just trust him?

After sitting there for a minute, he starts to calm down. He feels bad that he can't tell Bison that Bunny is being blackmailed by that crazy bitch, Sarah. If he could tell Bison that, he would be more understanding and think good of Bunny. But he can't say anything, not only because he's not supposed to tell anyone, but because Bison would want to kill her, too. He just had to be patient and wait for Bunny to figure out how to get out of this.

But what if Bunny can't find a way out? What if she owns his life forever? "No, that can't happen. Bunny has to be able to get his life back," Kotetsu says into the empty car. Kotetsu places his forehead against the steering wheel. He can feel his heart drop to his feet. "I can't do this, I can't stand the what-ifs. I just can't deal with this, I hate that woman so much, I want her to disappear forever."

Kotetsu, suddenly sitting up, gasps at what he's just said. "When did I start thinking like this? I know that she's a horrible person, but I don't want to have all this hatred in my heart," he leans back in his seat and lets his hands drop to his lap, turning his head to be looking out the driver side window. Staring at the people walking by, he starts to get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Bunny...." 

His thoughts start to run away with him...the night they had sex is taking up every bit of his mind. He closes his eyes and swears he can smell Bunny's scent and hear his sweet voice calling his name. His heart pounding loudly in his chest, it's like Bunny is on top of him holding him tight. He wants so bad to be in Bunny's arms, especially since he feels so uncertain and out of control. He feels so safe in Bunny's embrace. "That's right, when we had a little bit of alone time we almost..." Kotetsu shoots his eyes open to pull himself out of those thoughts, but he just can't stop thinking about it. Looking down to his hands in his lap, he can feel his face burning. 

"Not only we had sex a couple of days ago, but we almost had sex again yesterday. If Rizz hadn't walked in...we would have..." Kotetsu thinks, putting his hands on his inflamed cheeks. "But....I wanted it so bad, my mind couldn't think of anything else. Why? I mean, we're both guys and I've never done it with a guy before....but, yet it was so good with him and I want more. Wait! Does that mean he took my virginity?!" Kotetsu sits there wide-eyed. He just can't believe it, but it's true that he's not done it with a guy or been the bottom before. He shakes his head, telling himself to get his head out of the gutter. There are more important matters at hand than this silly teenage crap. He's still blushing, though, from the realization.

Even though he keeps telling himself to, he can't stop thinking of Bunny and how he is doing everything he can to protect Kaede. Plus, he's protecting Kotetsu from doing something stupid and from Sarah's blackmailing ways...."That's right he's with Sarah right now. That abusive bitch." 

Kotetsu's heart sinks to his feet, "What if she's hitting him right now?"

~~~~

Kotetsu has been on autopilot, but now he realizes that he's walking in the front entrance of Bunny's complex.

"Hey, Mr. Wild," a familiar voice says, getting his attention.

"Oh, hey, Steve," Kotetsu says to the doorman.

"What are you doing here?" Steve says, with a big smile.

"Oh, you know. Hey, can you tell me if Sarah is here? I don't want to be....well, you know, a party pooper," Kotetsu asks, nervously rubbing his arm. What if she's here? What will he do? It's not like he can go up there and give her a piece of his mind. But even if she isn't here, that still doesn't answer the question of why he's here and what he's planning.

"Oh, no. She just left in a huff. Why?" Steve asks, with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I see. Ok, then. I think I'll just go right on up," Kotetsu says, scratching the back of his head, he had no plan at all.

"Well Ok, Mr. Wild," Steve says, deciding not to press the issue any further.

As Kotetsu is riding the elevator up, the feeling in his gut is building. Sarah's been here so what kind of condition is Barnaby in? If Bunny is badly hurt, he's going to have to kill her. When he reaches Bunny's floor, he stalls only for a second before knocking on his door. It's really starting to dawn on him how stupid this is...he really didn't think this through at all.

The door jerks open with vigor, and a very pissed Barnaby appears, "What do you want—" he stops, "Kotetsu?! What are you doing here?" Barnaby's says, his eyes wide in shock. 

"Hi..." Kotetsu says, with a weak quivering tone. Barnaby doesn't look any worse for wear, but he can't see underneath Bunny's shirt so it could be just out of sight.

"Um, hi," Barnaby says, still looking shocked.

"Well, are you just going to stand there, or are you going to invite me in?" Kotetsu asks shyly.

"Oh, right, yes, please come on in," Barnaby says as he moves out of the way and motions for Kotetsu to come in. Walking in, Kotetsu can smell Barnaby's sweet scent so he has to fight the urge to kiss him. When he turns to him, he can see Bunny closing the door. "Is that a new bruise on the back of his neck or is it an old one I haven't seen before?" Kotetsu wonders, feeling his heart throb from the pain. 

Kotetsu finds himself unable to resist placing both hands and his forehead gently against Bunny's back. Tightening the grip on his shirt, he whispers, "Bunny, are you Ok?" Kotetsu's tone is so soft that Barnaby almost doesn't hear it. 

Barnaby looks down, balling up his hands into fists against the door. "Yes, I'm fine," he says quietly. Kotetsu doesn't reply, he just moves his hands around to Barnaby's upper chest, embracing him in a hug from behind while tightening his grip on the front of Bunny's shirt.

"Come on, Kotetsu, you should be out celebrating with the others," Barnaby says, not moving an inch. He doesn't want Kotetsu to stop holding him. "Been there, done that..." Kotetsu says, burying his face into Bunny's shirt so his voice is muffled. "Oh, I see, so you came to see me?" Barnaby says, reaching up to hold Kotetsu's hands tight against his chest. He knows Kotetsu and Bison have had words about him, but Barnaby doesn't want to talk about that. "Are you hurting?" Kotetsu asks, his voice still muffled. "No, really, I'm fine," Barnaby says, feeling his heart race. He knows Kotetsu is close enough to feel it. After all, he's holding Kotetsu's hands to his chest.

Kotetsu can hear and feel Barnaby's heart pounding and it matches his. They're moving toward dangerous territory and they both know it. Kotetsu doesn't care. He wants to be here with Barnaby.

Barnaby can no longer contain himself. He cups Kotetsu's face in his hands and asks, "Why are you here?"

"I don't know, I just had to come," Kotetsu says, feeling the warmth of Bunny's hands.

"Why? I mean, you know I'm fine," Barnaby says, moving his face close to Kotetsu's, so close he can feel Kotetsu's breath.

Kotetsu just looks at him with those sweet honey eyes. The silence between them makes it seem like the world has been put on pause. Covering Bunny's hands with his, he realizes that even though he didn't come here with a plan, he had hoped Bunny would have one. He tries to pretend he doesn't want to have sex again, but that's a lie and now he has gone and done something really stupid by trying to ignore his desires. He wants Bunny now.

"Kotetsu?" Barnaby asks, with a softness that would make anyone have goosebumps.

"I know you're fine. I just want to be here for you," Kotetsu says, looking deep into those soft green eyes of Barnaby's, screaming in his head for Barnaby to kiss him. 

Barnaby knows his instincts could be wrong, but he doesn't care in that moment. He leans forward and gently places his lips against Kotetsu's, tasting the sweetness of him. 

As Kotetsu moves his hands to grip onto Bunny's shirtsleeves, he deepens the kiss, the tenderness taking over all his senses.

Barnaby pins Kotetsu to the door, putting his knee between Kotetsu's legs. Running his fingers through Kotetsu's hair and pressing hard against him, Barnaby slides his tongue into Kotetsu's mouth, his heart flipping over itself.

Kotetsu feels the door against his back and Barnaby's knee between his legs, grinding. He curves his body into Bunny's, moaning into the kiss. He can already feel the excitement starting to build inside of him.

When they break from the kiss, a small popping noise can be heard. Barnaby and Kotetsu are both panting hard. Barnaby slides his hands down from Kotetsu's face to his body, stopping at his upper chest. 

Kotetsu can feel Barnaby massaging his chest and blushes red, turning his face away and moaning. He grabs Barnaby's hands, not to stop him, but to make sure he continues with the massage. Kotetsu revels in the circular squeezing motions.

Barnaby, moving close to Kotetsu's face, places a kiss on his cheek. He can feel Kotetsu's breath quicken a bit and the warmth of his hands. Barnaby's thoughts are racing, but all he could make out was "Please be mine...." 

Kotetsu is feeling so good, it's getting to be more than he can stand. He feels his erection growing and he wants Barnaby's mouth on him again. "Bunnnnny," is all he can say, but that's all that's needed because Barnaby responds with, "Do you need me to release some pressure down there?" licking his lips.

Kotetsu, blood red, nods and says, "Yes, please." He places his lips against Barnaby's, holding his face. When he pulls away and leans back against the door, still holding the shocked Barnaby's face, he breathlessly whispers, "Yes." 

Not staying shocked too long, Barnaby starts to move down Kotetsu's body, getting on his knees and grabbing the zipper with his teeth. He starts to slowly unzip Kotetsu's pants and unbuckles his belt. When he pulls out Kotetsu's dick, he hears Kotetsu's gasp and feels the full-body shiver. Kotetsu is covering his mouth with both hands to mute the noises he can't help but make. Barnaby smiles softly, putting Kotetsu's tip to his lips, kissing it as he moves his hand up and down the shaft.

Kotetsu is muffling the panting moans caused by Barnaby's sweet gentle kisses. He feels one of Barnaby's hands sliding underneath his shirt, back to his upper chest, rubbing. "Ahhh," escapes Kotetsu's lips as he throws his head back and grips Barnaby's hand to his chest. It feels so good, especially when Barnaby puts Kotetsu's tip in his mouth, sucking hard. He moves his other hand into Barnaby's hair right as his head starts to move up and down. Kotetsu feels Bunny's soft hair between his fingers. 

It doesn't take long for Barnaby to get him to cum, after all, he remembers what Kotetsu likes from last time. Kotetsu's body tenses up and curves against his mouth as he stands on his tiptoes. Barnaby slides his fingers on the smooth skin of Kotetsu's waist. 

"Barnaby!" Kotetsu gasps loudly, leaning the back of his head against the door, still holding Barnaby's head, the hair so soft between his fingers. As Bunny pulls away, Kotetsu catches those soft green eyes and sees the devilish grin as Barnaby swallows. Kotetsu's heart skips a beat when Barnaby licks his lips while staring into his eyes. He turns bright red, as he realizes something that hadn't dawned on him last time. Barnaby had swallowed then, too. He tries to say, "Bunnnnny!?" but before he could get the word out, Barnaby is unbuttoning his shirt, kissing his way up Kotetsu's body. He gasps instead of articulating words, putting his fingers deeper into Barnaby's soft curls.

Barnaby can feel Kotetsu quivering as he gently places kisses up Kotetsu's body. He stops at the bottom of his rib cage, kissing and then sucking hard, leaving a hickey on the dark-skinned man. Hearing Kotetsu's sweet moans, he places his hands back on Kotetsu's waist.

Kotetsu's attention is consumed by Barnaby kissing and sucking on his body, so much so that he doesn't even notice Barnaby removing his vest and tie. His shirt is barely hanging on one shoulder. He reaches and grabs Barnaby's shirt at the shoulders, holding on tightly. As Barnaby reaches Kotetsu's nipple, he licks it, moving his tongue around in a circle. Kotetsu bites his bottom lip, curving into Barnaby, whose hands are sliding up Kotetsu's back. Kotetsu buries his head in Barnaby's soft, sweet smelling hair and it tickles his nose. When Barnaby starts to suck on his nipple again, Kotetsu lets out a loud moaning "Barnaby!" As he starts to drool, he lifts his head up, hugging Barnaby and feeling his legs go weak at the knees. If Barnaby wasn't holding him up, he'd collapse.

Barnaby, pleased with Kotetsu's reaction, starts to remove Kotetsu's pants and boxers as well. He has Kotetsu completely captivated with him sucking, kissing and licking Kotetsu's nipples so Kotetsu doesn't even realize he's standing there in nothing but his shirt, and it's hanging on by a thread.

Kotetsu, blushing and panting, leans forward to kiss the top of Barnaby's head, holding him tight. Kotetsu didn't think he would like his nipples being played with, but he does, and urges Bunny to suck harder. Barnaby's eyes go wide as he looks up at him. "Barnaby," is all Kotetsu can moan out. Kotetsu brushes back Barnaby's bangs, so he can see those beautiful forest green eyes staring into his vibrant amber ones.

Barnaby stands up, still holding Kotetsu. He puts his forehead against Kotetsu's, making sure that there is not an inch of space between them. 

Kotetsu grips onto Barnaby's shoulder with one hand and laces the fingers of his other hand into the soft blond hair. Barnaby's hands are on his back, one gripping onto his shoulder blade and the other holding his side.

They come together in a kiss, passionately tasting every bit of the other.

Kotetsu moves his bare leg up Barnaby's clothed one, sliding his toes up the back of Barnaby's leg. He can feel Barnaby's excited quiver in the deep kiss. 

Neither one wants to stop kissing, but they both need air, so they pop away from the lip lock and their tongues slide apart. They both stand there panting, holding on tighter to each other.

"Kotetsu, I need to be inside of you. Now...or I'll go crazy," Barnaby says, looking into Kotetsu's mesmerizing eyes.

"I need you, too," Kotetsu says, moving his other leg up and wrapping both of them around Barnaby, grinding against his bulge. 

Barnaby, moaning from the grind on him, carries Kotetsu to his bed. Putting him down, he climbs on top, his arms on each side of Kotetsu. 

Kotetsu pulls Barnaby's shirt from his pants and slides it off. He can't help but to stare at his beautiful body, he's so hot. He's seen Barnaby many times bare-chested, but this time he's really drinking it in and memorizing every muscle Barnaby has.

Barnaby strips off the rest of Kotetsu's shirt, saying, "I need to see you." 

Kotetsu turns red, feeling the butterflies in the pit of his stomach. He realizes that Barnaby is doing the same thing he is. Biting back his shyness, he reaches up and puts his hands on the back of Barnaby's neck, pulling himself up and kissing Barnaby softly. Barnaby, kissing back, goes flat onto Kotetsu grinding between his legs, deepening the kiss Kotetsu moves so Barnaby's bulge can be vigorously grinding against his butt, and Kotetsu wraps his legs around Barnaby and pulling him to grind harder. 

Barnaby, breaking from the kiss, gently slides two fingers into Kotetsu's mouth. Kotetsu's face burning from the blush on his cheeks, starts to suck on Barnaby's fingers. As he does that, Barnaby use his other hand to undo his own belt and pants. Kotetsu is way too consumed with what he's doing to even notice Barnaby pulling his fingers from Kotetsu's mouth. He lifts up and opens Kotetsu's legs, sliding his fingers in, he starts to rub. He knows the spots Kotetsu loves the most so he quickly has Kotetsu panting his name. 

"Barnaby!" Kotetsu exclaims, curving his body into Barnaby's fingers. He needs him so bad now that he uses his foot to push Barnaby's pants down to reveal Barnaby's red boxers.

Barnaby, getting exactly how Kotetsu feels, pulls his fingers out and replaces them with the tip of his dick. "Kotetsu..." Barnaby moans, as he starts to enter.

Kotetsu's eyes start to water as he feels him slide all the way in. It doesn't hurt at all this time, but it feels strange...a good kind of strange. 

"Kotetsu, are you Ok?" Barnaby asks, a little alarmed by Kotetsu's tears.

"Yes," Kotetsu gasps.

"But, you're crying?" Barnaby exclaims, trying not to move.

"Yes, but only because it feels strange, that's all," Kotetsu says, hugging Barnaby and grabbing his shoulders for leverage.

"So, do you want me to keep going?" Barnaby asks, hugging him with one hand on Kotetsu's shoulder and the other in his beautiful thick brown hair. Kotetsu just nods into Barnaby's bare chest. Barnaby smiles softly, starting to move slowly at first and then picking up speed as Kotetsu's excitement builds.

"Barnaby!" Kotetsu moans loudly, as he grinds himself into Barnaby by gripping onto his shoulder blades. He turns his head away, drooling from the vigorous grind. Barnaby's making Kotetsu's heart race so fast in his chest, he swears Barnaby can hear it. 

"Kotetsu!" Barnaby moans, moving even faster, now holding Kotetsu's legs.

Kotetsu had been wanting Barnaby's hands on his legs so he quivers excitedly.

Barnaby smiles really big, saying as he humps Kotetsu faster, "Do you like that?"

Kotetsu, blushing, grips onto the sheets tightly, saying, "Yes, yes!" Pushing his hips into Barnaby's, Kotetsu can feel it moving in him even more. Panting, he reaches up, catching Barnaby's necklace, and pulls Barnaby's lips to his. He presses hard into them, putting his tongue in first and deepening the kiss. 

Barnaby's eyes go wide. He didn't expect Kotetsu to french kiss him first, but he doesn't waste any time kissing back. He pulls Kotetsu close using his legs, which Kotetsu wraps around him. 

Kotetsu, holding Barnaby tight with his legs, can feel Bunny's grip on his thighs.

Now they're both grinding into each other as hard as they can, panting and drooling as the passion between them climbs to an almost unbearable level. 

"Damn, I'm going to cum....But, I don't want to yet. I want this to last forever," Barnaby thinks, gritting his teeth and feeling the sweat dripping off his chin.

"How can I be already wanting to cum again?" Kotetsu thinks, holding onto Barnaby tighter.

Barnaby, moving faster and faster, gripping Kotetsu's legs, can feel Kotetsu's hands holding tighter to his shoulder blades, gasping out in a whisper right next to his ear, "Barnaby, Barnaby, please I, Barnaby..." Barnaby doesn't know what Kotetsu is trying to tell him, but he just can't talk now. He's concentrating on trying not to cum yet, but it doesn't matter because Kotetsu cums and tightens around his dick so he can't help but to cum as well. He moves into Kotetsu, holding him in that spot, gripping tightly onto his legs.

Kotetsu moans and digs his nails into Barnaby's back as he feels the hot cum filling him up. "Barnaby, it's so hot," Kotetsu exclaims.

"Kotetsu, I love you," Barnaby says as he finishes cumming inside of Kotetsu. They both go limp and Barnaby falls onto Kotetsu, both of them panting and still moaning.

Kotetsu is so red, holding onto Barnaby. Not only is he wide awake, unlike last time, but he's still so excited and wants more. As if Barnaby had read his mind, he says, "It's not enough, I need more of you."

Kotetsu pulls back just enough to look Barnaby in the eyes. He can feel his face burning red, but he kisses Barnaby gently. Feeling Barnaby's hands sliding up his back, he moves his hips on Barnaby's making small grinding motions. He can't say out loud what he wants, but he can tell Barnaby with his body. It must have worked, because Barnaby smiles and sits up. 

Barnaby starts to pull out of Kotetsu, who moans and tries to stop him by moving his hips back onto Barnaby's. He assures him, "Kotetsu, I'm going to put it back in. I just want to be in a different position."

Kotetsu turns bright red, lets Barnaby continue pulling out again. When he does, Kotetsu moans, holding the pillow to his mouth. He didn't want Barnaby to pull out.

Barnaby gently puts Kotetsu on his stomach, moving Kotetsu's shirt down so he can kiss the back of Kotetsu's shoulder. Sliding his hair out of the way, he covers the back of Kotetsu's neck with sweet, warm kisses. Barnaby gently guides Kotetsu's hips up, putting his tip in and pushing, he wastes no time and is fully connected with Kotetsu in an instant, their hips flat together.

"Ahhhh! Barnaby, you're so deep so fast!" Kotetsu moans loudly, throwing his head back, quivering and pushing into Barnaby's hips more. 

"Sorry, do you need me to stop?" Barnaby asks, panting into Kotetsu, putting both hands on each side of his lower back.

"No....you just....Ahhh, surprised me. It's fine." Kotetsu gasps, letting his head fall against the pillow, looking up at Barnaby. 

Barnaby's heart wants to beat out of his chest. Kotetsu is so cute when he's red and the smoldering look on Kotetsu's face is driving him crazy. He starts humping Kotetsu quickly and passionately.

Kotetsu gasps, jerking his head up. "Barnaby! Ahhhh!" he says, gripping onto the bed sheets. He can feel it going in and out as well as hitting all the right spots. "Barnaby!"

Barnaby reaches up and grabs Kotetsu's hands, entwining their fingers. "Kotetsu, I love you!" he moans, going faster.

"Barnaby!" Kotetsu yells out with his moans, yearning to be able to reply, but just moves his hips more into Barnaby's. Suddenly, Kotetsu feels Barnaby wrapping his fingers around the shaft of his dick, gently moving up and down. Kotetsu, turning red, grabs Barnaby's hand, moving with him. Being jerked off while being humped is just too much so that Kotetsu starts to drool into the pillow. Now he realizes Barnaby is moving his other hand to Kotetsu's upper chest and starts to massage. Kotetsu bites onto the pillowcase, but when Barnaby gently pinches his nipple, Kotetsu moans, "Barnaby! Ahhhh!" He never would have thought his nipples would be so sensitive, but he loves it so much. He's never touched them like that before, but Barnaby knows just how much pressure to apply.

"Kotetsu, you really love this, don't you?" Barnaby says, smiling into Kotetsu's back. He looks up to see Kotetsu hiding his face with his hair, but he can see that he's biting his bottom lip which Barnaby is starting to realize means Kotetsu is loving it. "Kotetsu, you don't have to say anything, you can just nod," Barnaby says, watching Kotetsu's reaction closely. Kotetsu nods, with his face and even his ears bright red. Barnaby's heart is already racing, but it skips a beat and his face turns redder than before. 

When Barnaby starts putting pressure on his tip with his thumb and pointer finger, Kotetsu gasps. At the same time, he rubs Kotetsu's nipple and playing with it, "Barnaby....too.....too....too good," he says, quivering in Barnaby's grip and curving into him. "I'm going to cum," he thinks, gasping, now using both hands on the bed for maximum leverage.

Barnaby feels Kotetsu cum in his hand and start to collapse on the bed, but Barnaby holds Kotetsu up with the hand that was rubbing his nipple. "Kotetsu, please just a little bit longer," Barnaby says, heavily panting. He sees Kotetsu nod and feel him move his hips weakly into his. Barnaby makes it as easy as he can for Kotetsu by holding up his hips with both of his hands. 

Kotetsu can feel Barnaby going in and out, and he wants to move with him, but he's too tired now. He grabs onto the pillowcase with his hands and teeth, hoping to be able to hold Barnaby and kiss him before falling asleep.

Barnaby reaches his limit pretty soon after Kotetsu and cums, falling on top of Kotetsu, panting heavily. He pulls Kotetsu around to face him and they snuggle together as close as possible, their bodies intertwined. Kotetsu places his hands on Barnaby's face and they kiss a deep passionate kiss. He's sad to have Barnaby's dick out, but they're both too tired to carry on. 

They look into each other's eyes as they continue to kiss sleepily, both wishing for the night to never end.

End of Chapter 10


End file.
